


Fantasy's Willful Heart

by SheilaDivine



Category: InuYasha - A Feudal Fairy Tale, Yu-Gi-Oh!, 幽☆遊☆白書 | YuYu Hakusho: Ghost Files
Genre: Alternate Universe, Angst, Angst with a Happy Ending, Blood and Violence, Crossovers & Fandom Fusions, Domestic Violence, Drug Withdrawal, Drug-Induced Sex, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Graphic Description, M/M, Major Original Character(s), Minor Original Character(s), Mystery, Non-Consensual Drug Use, Oral Sex, Out of Character, Rape/Non-con Elements, Sexual Violence, Stalking
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-01-15
Updated: 2016-02-09
Packaged: 2018-05-14 00:42:54
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death, Rape/Non-Con, Underage
Chapters: 22
Words: 77,444
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5723146
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SheilaDivine/pseuds/SheilaDivine
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Finding out if anyone is worthy of her heart…The fight to aid a dog demon from accepting the abuse he thinks must come with love…A journey that again ignores the boundaries of time. Join Sheila Higurashi on her epic, coming of age journey to understand just how powerful her heart is before it’s too late for a certain half demon to be saved… </p>
<p>An Inuyasha/Original chara story</p>
<p>Sheila 'Fantasy' Kimiga Higurashi is a 15 year old girl living with her mother when disaster strikes. Dying of illness, Sheila’s mother leaves her and makes her promise to live with her half-sister, Kagome. It’s not until six months later that adventure comes knocking in the form of Vickie, a wolf/dog yokai that actually has a rather bizarre request:<br/>She wants Sheila to fall in love with her brother, Inuyasha, in hopes of freeing him from his obligatory-like love with Kagome.<br/>But can love really be that simple? And, with a very real threat hiding among the shadows, Sheila might find herself in need of saving while trying to protect the enigmatic half demon…</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter Zero: Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> First off, Thank you for reading my work. Second off, I hope you really enjoy. Please don't be afraid to review/critic. This story is actually over 10 years old and has been waiting for an ending and revision. This is the updated version. If you want a post to the original work to compare how it's really changed (Or hasn't), just ask. :)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tragedy begins our story...

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Zero:

 

The  Prologue

 

 

 

 ** _~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Mercy Medical Hospital, Room 12~_**  

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

Sheila stares around the hospital room; mind completely distracted while her heart clenched tight in her chest hard enough to hurt. She knew that this would be her last moments with her mother and, as much as she promised herself that she wouldn't cry- she would be strong!- the tears fell without restraint at the sight of her once beautiful mother.

 

Skin that was once a honey olive-brown was now sweaty and pale.

 

Hands that were once steady and strong were now frail and shaky.

 

But it was the sight of those once dark, sable-blue eyes that had made her start to cry. Her mother's brilliant and intelligent eyes were now a deathly pale, grey-blue that reminded her of a dead sky and was only bright with pain and the concentration it took to breathe.

“How long before she's -” She pauses, looking at the nurse with pleading dark eyes that this suffering would not last long.

 

Her mother has suffered enough pain in this world. Namely of the heartache kind.

 

The nurse looks at the young girl, her swirling blue-brown eyes filled with sympathy. She could only understand in thought that it must be painful to be fifteen years old and losing your mother, who seems to be the only person in the world that's ever loved and taken care of you.

 

And now that person must leave you behind to the call of death itself.

 

The nurse had known Sheila and her mother, Belle Fantasia Kimiga, ever since the fifteen year old was just a little fetus with no gender that they could see yet or true form to even identify her as a baby and the nurse had been proud to help the young mother take care of the quickly developing child. Belle was only seventeen when she had Sheila, but told the nurse with bright, openly sad eyes, that this was her love child and she was glad to have her.

“I could give her a drug,” The nurse suggests, but knew the answer right away.

“No,” Sheila answers without thought, “she wouldn't want that,” she looks at the dying figure on the hospital bed with a quivering smile on her already full, moist lips, “she said that she would never take a drug, and she never will.”

The nurse nods with respect, thoughtlessly tucking a loose strand of her long golden-black hair that got free of her ponytail behind her right ear, “I don't think it will be much longer.”

Sheila nods her head as she walks further into the room, wiping the tears from her blue-black eyes and softly dimpled cheeks before raising her head up high in false bravery and taking hold of her mother's shaky hands, “Mother.” She calls to the sickly woman softly; almost afraid her voice would drive the fragile soul away sooner.

The pale eyes look over at her and soften with love; a weak smile coming to slightly crusted, thin lips, “My baby… hand me… some… water… w-will you,” Sheila's mother asks in a low raspy voice that was slightly labored from trying to breathe, “feel a little…dry.”

Sheila grabs a Styrofoam cup and fills it with tepid water that sat in a pitcher on a roll-in table, putting in a straw and holding the cup so that her mother could drink. After giving Belle some water, she puts the cup on the table and takes out a white cloth that she has taken to carrying on her visits to the hospital in order to gently dab at the sweat collecting on her mother's brow.

“Mother.”

“…Hm?”

“You're alright, mother,” she tries to say with confidence she didn't really feel, “Everything will be fine,” Sheila smiles weakly, fighting hard with herself to keep from crying as she looks into her dying mother's eyes, “r-right?”

Belle sighs with a strained breath. She knew she was going to die and could only think of one thing to tell her beloved child, “Baby,” she pauses to catch her breath, asking for another sip of water and coughing a little before continuing, “My dear Fantasy,” Belle uses her daughter's middle name that also serves as a nickname, “remember what… I told you… about…y-your father?”

Sheila wrinkles her little nose, “You mean that bastard who didn't even take care of me? That…that man who left you on the streets after promising to take care of you,” Sheila questions in a sort of a rage, “that spineless, half-wit of a man who wouldn't even admit to be the man who fathered me? Yes mother, I remember him and wish to soon forget.”

“Peace my child,” Belle rasps, knowing how her daughter felt, “he…has a family…a…a good family,” she looks at her only child pleadingly, “go…go to them…that,” she pauses yet again for a weak breath, “it's my last…my last wish…that…that you find…find your sister…live with them,” she reaches out and squeezes her daughter's hand with slight shaking, “…show…show them…the …the will…the will of…your heart,” her mother whispers, closing her eyes as she lets out a final breath; her hand dropping lifeless from her daughter's fingers.

 

She was gone.

 

Sheila bites her quivering lower lip as she runs a hand through her dead mother's midnight black hair, looking like a lost child, “OK mother,” she whispers, as if her mother could still hear her, “OK,” she cries while running from the room, her heart and soul sobbing for the only person she ever knew in life that loved her. The only one who has wiped her tears away, held her through all the ups and downs and wasn’t afraid to give tough love as well as tender kisses. But now that one person was gone…

 

No one shall take her willful heart.

 

No one shall hold her close, only to die or promise her something they couldn’t give.

 

No one will know the love she had to give…Nor the love she deeply wants to receive in return without proving to be truly worth it.

 

 _~I will never let anyone take away the will of my heart, mother~_ She mentally vows; her tears still falling silently as she disappears among the people of the busy street.

 

 

And that was her promise to the only love she knew.

 

 

Little did Sheila know just how much that promise would be challenged in the future…

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 


	2. Chapter One: Waiting

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Everyone is waiting on something...

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter One:

 

Waiting

 

 

**_~Present day Japan, Tokyo, Kuki Junior High, History Class~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

_~It isn't just about how strong you are. It's about knowing when to use it. ~_

_~The time of_ _the strong is over, my Fantasy. You need to be frail yet powerful. Submissive yet in the lead~_

_~You must have a great `Will' to your heart, my Fantasy, my baby. That `Will' is what makes you who you are…what makes it Fantasy's `Willful' heart alone, and no one else's to take from you…~_

_~…You must_ _share your heart in the magic of love…~_

 

Sheila thought of the words that her mother had once told her when she was only a thirteen-year old brat with an attitude while her mother was a patient thirty-year old woman who knew and understood the wonders of becoming a teenager at the time. They had been staying in a little apartment flat in Tokyo after having lived in Chicago's Chinatown where they had once owned a little shop and capsule hotel* where they would rent out rooms, sell Chinese, African and Japanese foods, little antiques, booklets on some history on both Japan and African-Chinese. She had not understood what her mother was trying to say, but knew that, like everything the loving woman said, it would someday make sense…

 

And yet, even now, it  ** _still_**  didn't make sense at all!

 

No matter how she tried to piece the words together, the teen wasn’t sure just what her mother meant. Just what ‘will’ did she mean? In the end, Sheila wasn’t sure. Recalling her mother though, she had loved listening to Belle and could remember when they had customers who would stay to listen as well in the little shop-hotel just on the corner by the train that brought people into Chinatown. She would listen just as intently as the customers when her mother would tell a little Chinese, African or Japanese folk story that her mother sometimes mixed with her own imaginings. Sheila would have been sitting on the side counter in the little cozy shop with both a Japanese and Chinese/African feel to it, wearing torn blue jean shorts and a red tank top while nibbling on a chocolate chip cookie. She would kick her legs back and forth; sometimes tapping the counter she sat on when they lived in Chicago. She'd listen to the romantic tales her mother would sometimes tell some couples, and dream of a world filled with spirits, demons and all kinds of monsters in midst of a sweet, heart-wrenching romance gently caressing every plot until it made her wild with passion and excitement for the characters.

She reminisces about feeling warm inside when her mother told her favorite one about the two demons that were in love but couldn't be together because of who and what they were and also because their family would never have approved; knowing that her mother had made that one up especially for her.

~ _Like Romeo and Juliet~_  She thought, smiling, ~ _feudal era style, of course! ~_

            They had to sell the shop once her mother started showing signs of being ill, and, before she knew it or understood why, Belle had rushed Sheila to Japan; a place that made her stick out like a very sore thumb. In other words, she hated it, but tried not to complain for her mother’s sake.

 _~Wait for the promise~_  Her mother's voice drawls softly in that Japanese/French- African accent that she loved inside her mind of memories ~ _Wait for the promise of fulfilling the will of your heart. ~_

 

And so she waited.

 

Waited for her heart and soul to heal after the tragic death of her mother six months ago.

 

Waited for her mind to finally understand what her mother was trying to tell her.

 

And now waits, with gritted teeth, for the boy who sits two seats from her to stop making that distracting farting noise with his stinky armpits! She couldn't see how the teacher could stand it! If she were his teacher, he'd have detention for the rest of the year!

Giving up on doing her homework so she wouldn't have to do it later, Sheila settles for glaring over at the smiling, murky blue eyed idiot that was once again doing something disgusting to entertain his green eyed fawn of a girlfriend. It made her sick! There he was, the top player on the school's hockey team, farting the National Anthem with his armpits! With short blond-brown hair, and skin wonderfully tanned, Sheila thought he could be doing something much better with his body than making cat-calls and spitting spitballs through a straw like they were still in elementary school instead of Junior High.

“There he goes again,” Sheila hears a male classmate say somewhere behind her, “the lucky dog!”

“Isn't Toki lucky,” She hears a female classmate coo excitedly to someone to her right side, “I wish he were my boyfriend!”

Sheila cringes at the idea of a boyfriend who puts straws up his nose and sings the Barney song in order to make her feel special. If that was the case, than she was  ** _VERY_**  glad that most people thought she was nothing special. Being fifteen with an even bigger attitude than she had when she was just entering her teen years, Sheila was a force to be reckoned with, and had no problem making it known. A girl standing the height of 5'4” with chocolate-honey skin, Sheila has long, midnight ebony hair that asymmetrically loses its long length once it reaches her short bangs that barely go over her eyes. Lanky, yet past the curvy development of most girls in her year, it wasn’t hard for her to get the wrong attention with cat calls and whistles a plenty in her rebel/emo outfit of black and silver spandex/leather.

She didn’t really like being cooed at, so the young teen had a bad habit of ending up in detention the moment one of the boys tried to get her to pay them any mind. _~Nothing but sex between their ears~_ She thought; dully continuing to watch the giggling and cuddling of the couple a bit to the side of her. She was sure she wasn’t jealous of such things. A typical teenage romance barely lasted a full school term from what she’s seen. So Sheila refused to believe that the sensation in her chest that made her roll her eyes at the sight could possibly be jealousy.

 

She waited this long to fall in love, and would wait all eternity to understand her mother’s words…

 

…No matter how lonely it got…

 

“Alright, class,” the male teacher shakes his head; creamy-green eyes lightly reprimanding the two lovers before he continues, “Today we are talking about the Feudal Era. Called the Age of the Warrior by some, it was a time of political unrest with samurai fighting in civil wars being a daily way of life. But this warring time also holds one of the most peaceful times as well. Called the Edo Period, it also has been called the time of Isolation; since Japan had completely closed its doors to outsiders during that time. Since that happened, the culture had time to blossom, and some the most amazing cultural advancements happened in that time. Now, what I want you to focus on is the Isolation Period of that time,” The teacher instructs, “What do you think of such a time? What comes to mind? How do you think the people felt about such things happening? Proud? Angry?...”

~…Lonely…~ Sheila thought immediately; imagining a young girl looking at the shore and wondering if her very fate was waiting to come in…only to discover it had no entry.

“We should just ask Kagome,” She hears a female student speak up to what Sheila assumes is her friend, “I heard she did well when it came to talking about the Feudal Era.”  

Sheila shivers in disgust at the thought of her older half-sister. Even she proved to be no different from the rest of the girls in school, so the younger teen made it her business to avoid her whenever possible. 

“Bitch central,” She mutters to herself, “always in heat, always free,” Sheila growls lowly, picturing the sixteen year old throwing her long black hair around as if she were a wild beast in rut, “Stick your dick anywhere ya like. No condoms needed!” She exclaims in a whisper to herself; sighing as she rolled her dark eyes, “Just my luck that I had to be related to a whoring priestess.”

            Sheila wouldn’t lie to herself. At first, she thought Kagome was a nice person. She would smile and encourage others. Aid them if they asked her, and had a strong personality that was admirable.

 

Until she lost her virginity to some boy she claims to be her first true love.

 

            Then Kagome became unbearable. On one hand, she was the same. Smiling and encouraging. On the other hand, she was also more into talking with the boys, and had even more attitude than usual. Sheila would have tolerated it, if the other girl didn’t openly throw all her sass right at her. Rather it be at home when Kagome would make it clear that she was the more loved and accepted daughter of their father, or at school when she pretended she didn’t exist, the older girl made one thing very obvious.

 

She did NOT like having Sheila around.

 

~Hmm…If only I didn’t catch her sneaking that boy in~ She thought remorsefully, ~Then maybe things wouldn’t be so bad between us~

With history being her final class, the bell finally rings after a long lecture about literature and artwork of the Feudal Era. Sheila quickly gets ready and leaves, hoping not to get into trouble before making it home. Some of the other students have gotten wind of her background somehow, and liked to tease her mercilessly for it. It was mostly the boys; likely angry because she wasn’t willing to date them at all.

“Hey, bastard child!” A boy called once she got outside; his hand firmly gripping her shoulder so that she couldn’t get away.

Apparently, escape wasn’t on the menu today. ~ _At least I got outside of the school this time~_  was all she thought as she drops her bag and turns around rapidly to pull out of the hold. Her gloved fist with hidden studs connects to the boy’s jaw; the sickening sound of cracking bones and pain-filled cries caused her to smile even as she kneed another boy in the stomach and flips a boy over her shoulder.

“You bitch!” Another boy exclaims; dark eyes angry as he comes over to hit her for hurting his friends. Sheila waits for the boy to get too close before ducking and giving his jaw an upper cut; blood dripping off her black studded glove from hitting him so hard that he began to bleed and fell unconscious, ~ _Where's that bitch of a sister when I need her? ~_ She thought before falling into a pattern of dodging, hitting and kicking at any that tried to take a hit at her until the teachers came out…

 

 

 ** _~Feudal Era Japan,_** **_Yoru no Tsume Forest, Hidden Naraku Path~_**

 

 

**_ ~Kagome~  _ **

 

“BLADES OF BLOOD!!”

“WIND TUNNEL!!”

“HIRAIKOTSU!!”

“FOX FIRE!!”  
“HIT THE MARK!!” Kagome shouts, letting go of her taut bowstring and allows the arrow to fly. She smiles in triumph as the arrow drives straight through the chest of some unfortunate demon, who screeches terribly and claws at its bleeding chest before falling backwards off the cliff and into the darkness below. They were close now and she wasn't gonna let up. She aims another one of her arrows at an insect demon, letting it fly almost at her before releasing the arrow. The giant bug fell dead, oozing green poisonous blood close to her feet as she continued to shoot at demons high and low.

They nearly had all of the jewel shards and didn't want to allow Naraku to get away after chasing him all this way. But Kagome wasn’t just excited about that. Inuyasha has admitted his love for the long, black haired, brown eyed Kagome, so the young girl felt like the great goddess Benzai-Ten herself as she races over to be at Inuyasha's side where she now belongs. Sango was riding in the sky on Kirara with Shippo behind her and Miroku has just jumped off Hachi as he sucks in the not-so-venomous demons while seeming to sail from the evening sky like a monk god.

 

But it was the snarling wolf/dog demon girl clawing her way through the demons as if they were nothing but thin paper that annoyed Kagome.

 

A full blood youkai standing 5'7”with long black hair that curves haphazardly at her feet, fair, mostly tanned skin, livid brown and gold eyes; as well as having a mid-thick, authoritative body shaping, Vickie didn't fall for Kagome's charms nor attempts at friendship. She didn't fall for her innocent looks and sure as hell didn't fall in love with the idea of the young priestess from the future dating her brother. Kagome has tried everything to make the demon girl like her. She recalls even offering to teach her how to use her bow and arrows in hopes of making friends.

But Vickie wasn't having it and now sneers at her while pushing her claws through the throat of a demon and pulling her arm back with a growling grunt. She smiles at Kagome before licking her dripping claws and allowing the now limp creature to fall before her as if to beg her for mercy even in death. Kagome winces, knowing that it was a warning as well as a promise and makes a mental note to stay close to Inuyasha.

Although she nearly changed her mind as her half demon lover cuts a giant flying-snake demon right in half with his sword. Kagome nearly pukes at the sight of the cut open, wrinkled brain and ripped guts of the demon, already hating the fact that both Inuyasha and his wild sister were nearly covered head to toe in blood that wasn't their own. She likes the clean, white haired look better than the maniac red burning hotly in his eyes as he seems to glide away from her to fight beside his little sister; growling in a possessed way when Vickie gets cut by a demon's claws and proceeding to chop the demon into millions of bloody pieces.

Kagome was definitely going to make him take a bath tonight before she left for home. While she was deeply in love with Inuyasha, an experience with someone she loved just as much had her jaded when it came to sex. The teen didn’t see a problem with going out and having sex with other boys; just so long as she didn’t really accept a relationship with them.

~ _Should I tell him I have a test, or_   _say_   _mom needs me? ~_  Kagome thought, knowing the truth was that she had a date with Hojo tonight, but knew damn well she couldn't tell Inuyasha that and wondered how she was going to keep her irritating half-sister from finding out. Mentally annoyed at the thought of her snoopy sister that got her into trouble that night, she shoots several arrows simultaneously with more vigor than needed, “RAPID FIRE!!”

Several demons in the sky fall like a soft hail, the other demons finally having enough sense to retreat as both Inuyasha and Vickie came at them together, almost ready to chase them to the ends of the earth.

 

Almost.

 

“Dammit,” Inuyasha growls, pacing a little as if he were a caged animal before his sister grips hold of him, “he got away again!”

“Calm down, brother,” Vickie soothes, calming herself as well as her brother, “we'll get him, you'll see.”

Inuyasha went from rigid and ready to kill the world to tired and limp in his little sister's arms, “I'm tired of this fighting,” he whispers into her ear, not noticing the jealous look on Kagome's face or the smirk on Vickie's, “I'm not sure I can keep going like this.”

“You can and you will,” Vickie smiles gently at her brother, “let's go chill in the hot springs, that way we can take a swim and you may actually beat me.”

Inuyasha glares at her but was also smiling, glade to have his sister bring back the true kid in him, “You're on,” He accepts the challenge; yet again missing the satisfied grin on Vickie’s face. Kagome didn’t miss it, and mentally sighs ~I don’t get why she doesn’t like me~ she thought fretfully, ~I’ve been nice, but, no matter what I do, she just hates me!~

“Kohaku,” Sango screams, pulling Kagome out of her thoughts as she suddenly jumps off her giant cat and runs to the brown haired teenage boy that Inuyasha had knocked unconscious earlier to keep from really hurting him, “Kohaku,” she whispers when she finally reaches her little brother, afraid to touch him because she had been waiting so long to finally have him back that it seemed like a dream. Miroku was instantly by his lover's side, gently taking one of her hands and placing it on Kohaku's cheek; causing Sango to gasp while crying silent tears of joy. “Kohaku,” was all she says before hugging Miroku so suddenly he actually fell back on his ass from his squatting position, “It's really him!”

Miroku nods his head, placing a comforting hand on her back that begin to wander lower and lower…

SLAP!

“YOU DIRTY MONK!!”  
Shippo and little Kirara shake their heads, “If he wasn't such a ladies' man,” Shippo says, “than maybe he wouldn't get into so much trouble.”

Vickie snorts, “I doubt it. The perverted monk would probably find something else to grab at.”

Miroku just happens to be looking at Sango's breasts when Vickie said this and Sango, with a blush, slaps her lover yet again; repeating the insult of calling him a dirty monk before picking up her little brother and walking away. Although both his cheeks were stinging and he was sure that he would have hand marks on them forever, Miroku still smiles at his departing lover.

 

He could wait until tonight to get her back.

 

Kagome could see as much shining in his eyes.

 

~If only he wasn’t so in love with Sango~ She thought with a little sigh; not daring to try and hint at any possibilities to the monk because of the obvious relationship.

“Are you staying tonight Kagome,” Inuyasha asks his newly `claimed' lover. Kagome blushes at the fact that they haven’t really had sex yet, and secretly wonders if he was hoping for it soon. ~Sorry, Inuyasha. Not tonight.~ …

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

            Inuyasha frowns, seeing her blush and sensing her hesitation with confusion, “…Or ya gonna go running back for some stupid test or some shit like that?” He questions with arms starting to slowly cross. Having confessed his feelings not even a full two days ago, the dog demon hasn’t had alone time with Kagome and was desiring her attention, but not sure how to really say it.

Kagome glares at him, “You are so rude, Inuyasha. And no, I can't stay,” she smiles, her big eyes making her look more innocent than what she really was, “I have to baby-sit my brother tonight. My mother's finally going out again,” She answers him; which was hard to be sure of since he didn’t think he’d get a straight answer from the girl’s mother anyways, “But I'll be back soon.”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha answers dejectedly; allowing his sister to drag him away from the love of his life.

“I still don't see what you see in her,” Vickie growls. The silver haired half demon knew she was fighting the urge to hurt Kagome, and he couldn’t understand why. Ever since the two met, his sister has done nothing but growl, sneer or throw her nose up at Kagome. He knew she hated humans, but this behavior was a bit much even for her.

“…Why do you hate her so much, Vickie?” He asks lowly, not in a great mood after realizing he wouldn’t get to spend any time with Kagome tonight at all.

“She’s no good. Forget not being good enough for you,” Vickie explains instantly, “She’s controlling. Sure she’s a good person, I guess. But the fact that you would date a little teenage human girl like her is beyond me. Why are you with her, Inuyasha,” His sister presses; causing him to tense at what he knew was coming, “You’re not staying around her because she reminds you of Kikyo, are you?”

“No,” He answers immediately, “I’m with Kagome because I want to be, Vickie. I’m telling you I love her,” he replies firmly.

“…Do you really?” Vickie asks him. It makes Inuyasha uncomfortable how she looks at him. Her eyes trying to dig deep into his soul before she speaks again, “Are you in love because you are in love? Or are you in love because she’s always there…A comfortable image by your side that never disappears…Never falters in staying with you through any danger…Yet, when you need a hug, is she perceptive enough to know when?” She pressures, “Does Kagome know your favorite hiding place? Has she ever made you feel like you don’t have to always save her? That maybe…just maybe…she can save you from the fight too?”

Inuyasha doesn’t answer. He couldn’t find an answer that would satisfy both him and Vickie. But…~What does that mean then? Is…Is our love real?...Will…Will Kagome always have me…waiting for her to come back to me?...Even when it turns out I need her the most at the end of the day?~

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

Vickie watches her suddenly quiet older brother with a frown. She knew what he was doing. The words that he wouldn’t say, but she was bold enough to think to herself in full clarity of what was happening.

 

Inuyasha was settling.

 

The wolf/dog youkai didn’t think her brother was doing it on purpose. It’s just that, somewhere along the line, when it came to romance, Inuyasha has given up and settled for what looked to be perfection. It didn’t help that the people around him were blind to everything but Kagome’s good points. Forget the abuse she has given him without an apology. Forget the moments when his emotions were left in the ditch for her insecure ones.

 

Forget scenarios like this when the human girl leaves for her life as if it wouldn’t have an effect on him at all.

 

Walking away for the springs with her brother following in sullen silence, Vickie’s hands ball into silent fists of fury. Why? Why her precious brother? Must this self-centered, supposedly kind girl be the real one for him? _~No~_ She thought firmly; shaking her head of such questions, _~I must not doubt my instincts. I know he can do better, and I know she’s lying about something.~_

 

Inuyasha may be blind to her lies, but Vickie wasn't falling for the bullshit.

 

“ You need to date other people,” She suggests suddenly. Vickie couldn’t take it. She wanted to see her brother with someone else. Wanted to test his happy meter with other girls. Girls that weren't perfect, but could at least share the fight with him when things got tough. Maybe not as nice, but strong as well as tender.

 

Loving without whining.

 

After everything he’s been through, Inuyasha deserved someone strong…and not able to age so awfully when time starts to take its hold like it does on humans.

 

~Even if it must be a human, I must see it~ Vickie thought, ~I need to see that he is truly happy with Kagome, and can’t find that happiness elsewhere if he really tried.~

“When would I have time to date?” He asks; having no idea what his sister was thinking, “Besides, I just told you that I love Kagome. There’s no need to date someone else. Now get off my back about my lover and stop picking on her,” The dog demon answers. Vickie grits her teeth quietly. She wouldn’t talk to him about it anymore, but that didn’t mean the subject was over. Inuyasha was the brother that was always there for her. Sesshomaru may be around now, having decided to travel with them for Rin to have more chances to interact with more people. But that was it. Once Inuyasha knew of her existence, he made it his business to take care of her, and they have been together since.

            So Vickie wouldn’t give up. She couldn’t. Her brother was too important to her, and seeing him happy was her ultimate goal. _~Love shouldn’t leave you lonely~_ the youkai thought, _~Love shouldn’t leave you to be the constant blame when the lovers don’t know any better…Love shouldn’t have your little sister comforting you after a battle that has obviously left you so tired, you’re rethinking your life…~_ Vickie’s wild heart was set after those thoughts. She’ll admit to Kagome being nice at times, but the teen didn’t understand love at all. Her brother needed someone who at least understood the word and what it deeply entailed.

 

Which was why Vickie knew her brother could do so much better.

 

And waited for the day when he would realize that too…

 

 

 ** _~Present Day Japan,_** **_Tokyo, Higurashi Residence~_**

 

 

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

Slipping into the house quietly after her date with Hojo, Kagome sighs. She was exhausted. The fight, plus a movie date that ended with sex at the boy’s house, was enough to wear the poor girl out. _~Still…It’s not what I wanted…At least not fully~_ She thought while tiredly staring at the floor, _~What if Inuyasha was actually gonna ask me to do it with him, but I’ve wasted the night with Hojo?~_ Kagome’s mind wanders on the day. Trying to picture the demon’s hands on her. Touching her…Tasting her…Pleasing her. Sex was part of relationships, after all. So her expectations weren’t too much, right?

Her first secret crush had sex with her within the week of her confession at his house. She could still remember the fear and anticipation that she had on realizing the act would make her his.

            But, despite all that, the relationship didn’t work out. They stayed together all of a few more months before they decided to go their separate ways.

~Maybe it’s because we didn’t do anything right from the get go?~ Her mind further questions; now worried that, if she didn’t convince Inuyasha soon, he’d get away from her forever.

“Have you finally decided to come home for the night at least, oh  _dear_  sister of mine?” A voice suddenly mocks in the darkness. Kagome curses under her breath at her rotten luck. It was three in the morning! Why can't her sister be sleep like normal people?!

“Enjoy fucking Hojo,” Sheila questions as if she were asking about the weather, the dark teen turning on the light in order to get to the kitchen and pour herself a cup of milk. Now that the light was on, Kagome could see a small stack of books sitting beside a chair, and again curses. It’s only been six months. Her half-sister still had the problem of not sleeping well through the night, and liked to read until she got tired enough to sleep again.

Watching Sheila go back to the favored chair, the older teen narrows her eyes before coolly answering, “Enjoy getting into trouble again?”

“I wouldn’t get in trouble if someone didn’t go telling people about my life at school.”

Kagome blushes; both upset and contrite, “And I was I supposed to know that my friends would talk about you to someone else?”

“You still shouldn’t have told them anything,” Sheila growls before taking a quick sip of milk, “It wasn’t your business to tell, ya know.”

“Whatever. Just go to bed like a normal person for once instead of sitting up all night crying and reading about love like you know anything about it.”

“I know more than you do!” She shout-whispers.

“Oh really? Then why don’t you have a boyfriend?”

“Because I’m waiting for the right guy.” Sheila states with so much confidence it actually makes Kagome laugh.

The young teen glares at her, “What’s so damn funny?”

“You. Honestly, you are pathetic. How would you know when it will be the right guy? You’ve had the whole school chase you down and you don’t like any of them. So who exactly are you waiting on? A ghost,” she snickers, “You don’t interact with anyone outside of school, so who are you going to meet?”

“I can’t date any of the boys at school,” Sheila argues back, sitting the cup of milk down before glaring back at Kagome, “You’ve fucked everyone at school.”

“Not everyone, you brat,” she argues back, “And maybe you should try having sex. It’s a lot more fun than beating the hell out of the boys and getting put in detention or suspended for it.”

Sheila smiles cynically, “Speak for yourself slut, I love beating the hell out of boys.”

“Slut?” Kagome shakes her head, “You know what? Why do I waste my time talking to you anyways? I can’t wait till some boy catches your heart,” Kagome roughly whispers at her sister in a venomous tone, “that way I can see him break you after he fucks you,” she purposely comes and stands in front of Sheila; knowing her sister was fighting the urge to hit her as she hisses in her ear, “Of course that would mean that he would actually want you and I can tell you right now,” she looks nastily at her sister before turning and walking slowly up the stairs so as not to make noise, “No one wants you. Or that stupid ‘willful’ heart of yours. The boys are just hoping to have sex with you, so you might as well give it up and be glad they want you for that much,” Kagome replies coolly before disappearing to her room for a much needed rest. She didn’t have to answer to her bratty half-sister. What the hell did she know? _~You just wait, sis~_ She thought, stripping down so she could slip under her pink covers, _~once Inuyasha and I become one, I’ll come back here and show you just how in love we are. Then you’ll know that I know way more about love than you and those stupid books~_

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            She watches her sister go up the stairs in silence, her heart aching at her words. Sheila had been given detention, and had only avoided suspension due to the fact that everyone knew the boys to have attacked her to be a gang that always caused trouble. It was hard for her to look at her worrying step mother when she came in, so she played it off with a bright smile and apologized for being a bother before racing to her room and doing her homework.

She fell into a guilty, fitful sleep that she woke up from at around midnight. Already use to the nightly problem of insomnia kicking in, Sheila grabbed a bunch of romance books and a little laptop she had for music and wandered downstairs; liking to be in a soft, lazy-boy chair when she went into the worlds of love and adventure. Although she did jump when she heard the door, it wasn’t out of surprise. Sheila couldn’t pretend it was out of shock or surprise anymore at the sound. More like she could almost time her clock after her half-sister and was amazed at how much time had went by already.

Kagome did this nearly every night ever since she lost her virginity to heaven knows who and Sheila had secretly taken to waiting up for her. At first it was to maybe spend time with the other teen, but, ever since that night of getting Kagome caught coming home late by mistake, the younger teen now occasionally waited up just for the slim chance that the other teen's mother might be awake and catch her in the act.

 

No such luck tonight.

 

Tears daring to fall, Sheila doesn't look as she grabs a book from the dozen on the floor and opens it to the first page:

 

**_~…“Beautiful, adorable Miranda. I love you and I think you care for me.”_ **

**_“Oh, why do you speak?” She tore herself away from him, and her voice was a wail of anguish._ **

**_“Now I cannot stay here.”_ **

**_“You will not go.” He grasped her wrist and held it cruelly tight. “You shall not leave me. You shall not, I say. I will not let you.”_ **

 

Sheila shuts the book after reading; trying to figure out just what the words meant. It was her escape. When she couldn’t fight back. When the world made a demand she knew she could do nothing against, the young teen girl would read a page and try to guess what it all meant.

“It means he doesn’t want her to deny his love of her,” She decides out loud; unable to fight back the tears as they fall quietly from her eyes, “…It also means that, for a moment, he forgot that he must wait for her to know of her love for him being strong enough to keep her there with him…And was willing to force it to stay…” She leans back in the chair; the very first page of Autumn Lace by Eileen Jackson doing little to comfort her.

 

She will probably be waiting forever to find love to fit the willfulness of her heart.

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

*A  _Capsule hotel_  is a hotel with a room that is only big enough to sleep in and is also located near a train station.

 


	3. Chapter Two: The Shattered Matching Glass Can't Lie Can It?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vickie decides to take action and ends up in The Present...Can Sheila really be right for her brother? And Inuyasha has some problems of his own...

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

  

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Two:

 

The shattered Matching Glass Can’t Lie Can It?

 

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Yoru no Tsume Forest, Small inn, Hot Springs~_ **

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

That was it!

The bitch had to go!

Vickie had spent the week comforting her big brother, who was unsure about the relationship now that Kagome hasn't returned since that bloody battle they had and the young wolf/dog youkai was beyond pissed. _~Now he’s blaming himself because she hasn’t returned~_ She sighs while combing out her hair, _~I mean really?! What the hell is with that girl?~_

So distracted was she in thoughts of her second brother while brushing her long, inky black mane with a rare Saber tooth brush gifted to her by Inuyasha for one of her birthdays, that she didn’t sense her oldest brother walking like an elegant cat to the springs.

“Don’t tell me you’re still comforting our brother,” Sesshomaru remarks in an even tone; unfazed by the sight of water lapping over his sister’s naked form.

“I just don’t get it, Sesshy,” Vickie confides in her brother, shuddering at the thought of Kagome while staring with troubled eyes at her reflection in the water, “Inuyasha can have any woman he dares pursue, but he stays with…her.”

“He loves her,” The regal dog demon states.

“Still…It bothers me. I know he can do better.”

“Better?”

“Sesshomaru, she’s a lying priestess that obviously has too much to deal with in another time,” Vickie growls, finally turning to look at her brother with upset eyes, “We’ll forget the fact that she’s human.”

“And since when did you share my distaste for humans?”

“It’s not that,” she protests, her hair barely covering the dusky pink of her upturned nipples as her nude body moves fluidly in the hot springs, “It’s just…humans live for such a short time…By the time she’s fifty, Inuyasha will look exactly the same as now! I mean he’s hardly a few years past two hundred, brother. He has a very long life ahead of him.”

Sesshomaru tilts his head; long, silvery strands falling in perfectly cared for streams behind him, “There’s magic for that,” he remarks like a man noting a butterfly landing on a flower and was expecting everyone else to have already realized that would happen, “What is it about her that really bothers you, sister? Ever since you met her not even a full half a year ago, you have hated her.”

“And what of you?”

“I don’t care who my brother loves.”

“Well I do,” Vickie argues; the water splashing around her as she bounces a little with her anger, “Do you remember when I introduced you to Rin?”

The aristocrat raises a brow at his sister, “What of it?”

“I helped you because she needed a home and you needed to understand the unconditional love a human can have. Well there are conditions to Inuyasha being in love with Kagome, and none of them take into consideration the one fact that he is still in love with Kikyo. He’s just expected to forget her just because she’s dead. But, as you know, she’s found a spell that allows her to be alive now. And yet he still pretends it doesn’t bother him at all because he’s afraid of hurting her,” Vickie shakes her head; frowning, “What about him? What about how this is killing him inside? What about the fact that he is just going in fucking circles?”

“Circles?”

“Same bitch, different skin,” The female youkai growls, “Sesshomaru, Kagome is nothing more than the same woman reincarnated. It’s like he’s still with Kikyo except she’s younger and more stupid.”

“Vickie,” Sesshomaru sighs, “What can we really do about it? Inuyasha has already made his decision.”

“No he hasn’t!” Vickie nearly screams, “The decision is being made for him as far as I’m concerned! Has he been with another girl? Did he choose Kagome out of a line up? Did he discover his love for her after having loved elsewhere? And I don’t mean Kikyo,” Vickie crosses her arms; eyes challenging, “Can you seriously stand here and say that he would still be with Kagome if he had dated someone else?”

Sesshomaru smiles; perfect, thin lips accepting her challenge, “Then get him to date someone else.”

“What?” Vickie blinks. She wasn’t expecting that answer from her usually stoic brother.

“Since you truly believe that you aided me in discovering Rin-“

“That’s because I did!”

“-Whatever. If you are willing to do that, what is stopping you now?”

“The fact that I have been doing that,” Vickie confesses.

“Oh?”

She nods, “Whenever I have time to get away, I have been talking to and meeting other demons of our time. But…”

“…They aren’t what you’re looking for,” Sesshomaru concludes.

Vickie again nods in agreement, “They don’t have the right kind of heart.”

“Heart?”

“Like Rin fits with you because she is carefree and accepting of who you are,” Vickie smiles fondly at the thought of Rin, “She maybe half human, but she’s also half demon. So she has plenty of time to grow up and teach you as she goes.”

Sesshomaru makes a face that proves he was fighting a blush, “A half cat demon is going to teach me something?”

“She already has,” Vickie giggles; knowing what the stern face was for. Taking time to whip her hair into a neat braid after tending to it, she cups some of the water and wets her face with it to signify the end of her grooming ritual, “I just hope I can find the same for Inuyasha…”

Sesshomaru shrugs slightly, “Try using a Matching Glass,” he suggests quietly before growling a little, his long tail seeming to get puffy.

Vickie stares at him a moment before her senses pick up on someone else being there. Rolling her eyes, she quickly dresses in a matching Fire Rat robe with the traditional pants of her family before speaking out loudly, “Miroku, if you don't stop looking at me right now I'm gonna claw those perverted eyes of yours out of your head and stick them so far up ya ass everyone's gonna think ya got Rear Vision Syndrome!”

“Ahh,” Miroku shouts in alarm at the threat, the monk falling on his face a few feet from Vickie, who sweatdrops at his predicament, “Inuyasha's sister! What a pleasant surprise,” he laughs nervously, jumping to his feet and avoiding Sesshomaru’s deadly gaze, “Well I better be going now.”

“Yeah, that would be a good idea,” Vickie mutters sarcastically; watching as the human almost falls on himself trying to scamper away.

“I could kill him,” Sesshomaru offers; a very vague hint of a joke in there somewhere.

She smiles broadly, “Nah. This gives me an excuse to punish the sick little pervert, and I know just the way to do it,” Vickie mentally puts talking to Sango on her list of things to do. She knew a way to tease the poor monk to the point of making him embarrasses to look at the two of them for a week with her little plan in mind. Setting thoughts of vengeance aside, the youkai starts walking away; deciding that she would try using the elusive Matching Glass known to crack or shatter into two when the person meant to be your other half is upon you. She would need to make sure that it’s wrapped in something of Inuyasha’s for it to work, but it gave Vickie hope.

 _~We shall see once and for all if you are really the only one for my brother, Kagome Higurashi~_ …

 

 

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo,_ ** **_Kuki Junior High_ ** **_, Hallway~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

“Go away Yusuke,” Sheila says dully to the taller, peach-skinned boy with slicked back, black hair and incriminating brown eyes, “You’ve caused me enough trouble.”

“Ah, come on! I said I was sorry!” Yusuke Urameshi almost whines with his effort to talk to the temperamental girl pulling out books from her locker, “I really didn’t think Kuwabara and his gang would actually try to hit you.”

“Well, thanks for not thinking,” Sheila replies in calm upset after closing her locker and starting to walk down the hallway after bumping into Yusuke’s shoulder with disdain, “I have to go to detention for a week because of you guys,” She states loud enough for the listening blond that was following after Yusuke to hear.

Yusuke Urameshi and Joey Wheeler actually blush at the cool sounding female walking away from them. She knew that both boys knew of her temper. Sheila has already beaten both boys in both physical and mental challenges they have presented to her; assuming that, if they win, they could take her out. Now the fools considered themselves her friends after all of that. Although she had to accept some fault. Sheila didn’t want to correct them. She was lonely, tired of fighting her sister every day, and the reprieve of friends was too tempting for the tomboy. _~How the hell I keep beating their ass is amazing though~_ The young teen thought. Sheila never got training, yet she hadn’t lost a fight yet, and it privately scared her at times. She wasn’t expecting to put the poor boys into the hospital, and her hands cling tightly to her books at the thought of them. _~ They won’t die…They won’t die…They won’t…die…~_

“How `bout we make it up to ya,” Joey says, pulling Sheila out of her mental mantra by handing her a red little ticket. Stopping in the middle of the hallway, and careless of the mumbled complaints from students that had to walk around the three of them, Sheila looks at the ticket with disbelief, “You're inviting me to Seto's Red Light Club,” she looks at Joey with narrowed eyes, “what's the catch?”

Joey sweatdrops as he waves his hands in front of him in a sign of peace, “What?! It ain't like dat! I just thought ya might wanna hang out wit' us is all!”

Sheila felt a bit flattered. Joey and his illegal boyfriend Seto, along with Yusuke, Kurama, and Keiko, were really adamant about becoming her friends despite her fears and wants mixing together to make her anxious about such terms, _~This could be a trick~_  she thought. ~ _I'll give the ticket to the bouncer at the door and he'll beat the crap out of me cause it'll be a fake ticket, and I'm…~_  She frowns as a thought occurred to her, “Wait a minute…! We're all under age! How would we get in?”

Joey smiles, handing Sheila a little green card that has “permission to enter” in the unmistakable neat cursive of Seto Kaiba, “I ain't wit' `im just for de sex.”

Sheila blushes. She made it a point not to think about the secret relationship between the teen boy and the older man. True they were technically only three to five years apart, but that still made Seto an adult of about eighteen to twenty years old while Joey was a very illegal sixteen or seventeen at this time.

Yusuke chuckles, “Yeah, we don’t want to know about you yucky affair, Joey,” the teen teases before handing Sheila a thin, little black box, “and here's something from me.”

Sheila looks shocked at receiving a cute little long box with silver Coptic designs on it. She opens it and gasps in even deeper shock at the golden white silver set of earrings with a leather choker that had little jewels and spikes on it, “W-what…?!”

Yusuke blushes, “Don't get any ideas! Keiko helped me, cause I didn't know what the hell to get you to make it up to ya, and Keiko said she'd beat my ass if I didn't get something. Hope ya like it.”

She felt them wait tensely for what she would do next. It was rather funny. The renown bullies of the school holding their breath over an underclassman in hopes of their gifts being accepted. Sheila could almost hear them relax as she sits her load on the floor in order to put the ticket in one of her many pockets and reaches into the box. Pulling out the chocker, she hands the box to Joey and gives the choker to Yusuke, “You can keep the earrings, but ya gonna put the choker on me,” she orders, never being the type to ask too many questions or keep staying in denial of a situation.

 

For better or worse, these guys were her first friends.

 

She didn’t want to think about what her mother would think of it.

 

Yusuke puts on the choker; seeming to admire how it looked on her not-so-long neck, and how each little gold and silver piece seem to catch the light with every move she made, “Looks great,” he says with an evil looking grin, “why don't we ditch today and show the world your new choker?”

Sheila blinks rapidly, “Ditch?”

Joey nods, “Kaiba won't be happy `bout it, but so what! He’s too spoiled anyway!”

She wasn’t sure how a grown man could be spoiled, but didn’t think it wise to ask about it. With only a moment’s hesitation, she nods slowly. She didn’t like worrying her stepmother, but she knew these were the kind of friends that forced you to live a little if you wanted to be around them. Rather that living was dangerous or not was yet to be determined in the teen’s mind. _~She’s not your mother anyways~_ She assuages her thoughts with more thoughts, _~She’s Kagome’s mother. Yeah, she takes care of you, Sheila, but she isn’t your mom. Get a grip already~_ , “OK, I don't see why not.” Sheila decides outs loud with a small smile; looking more confident than she felt.

“Well let's go then,” Joey says; clearly excited about anything that had to do with leaving school, “my friend Tristan gave me the keys to his new crib, and said I can come over anytime.”

“Sounds great,” Yusuke agrees; equally exuberant with the hope of escape, “I'll get Keiko. We can drink beers and watch a movie after we go to the party!”

Sheila shook her head at the excitement of her newly made friends,  _~What have I gotten myself into?!~_

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Inuyasha Forest,_ ** **_A path close to the Well_ ** **_~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

“Inuyasha.”

“No.”

“Inuyasha-”

“I'm not doing it!”

“But you stink!”

After talking with Sango about the prank she wanted to play on Miroku for peeping on her, Vickie came back to the campsite to the unpleasant smell and sight of Inuyasha with his new girlfriend, Kagome.

 

Arguing as usual.

 

 _~So she finally decided to bring herself here~_ She thought while leaning against a tree and watching the two.

“Come on, Inuyasha,” Kagome huffs with hands on what Vickie thought to be invisible hips cause she sure as hell didn't see any _~At least not enough to be dating a great demon like my brother~_ She thought in private fury while listening to them, “stop being so stubborn!”

“I don't wanna!”

“Inuyasha!”

“What?”

“Why can't you just do it for me?”

“I will.”

Kagome smiles sweetly. It was enough to almost make Vickie barf. Did her happiness really relay so heavily on Inuyasha behaving? It was pathetic and annoying. Sure, she understood. The girl was only sixteen, and she knew that wasn’t exactly the age of grand maturity. But that was no excuse in the mind of the mixed breed youkai. It’s been a year now that the two have known each other, so she figured the human girl would have enough sense to have learned about Inuyasha and his stubborn streak.

“When I'm ready,” Inuyasha’s voice filters into her thoughts, and Vickie had to fight back laughter at the way Kagome frowns. It was like a spoiled child. Which was strange, cause the only one that pampered her even a little was Inuyasha. _~And he’s not great at it either~_ She thought; now frowning herself. She would have to keep that in mind when looking for a potential mate for her brother.

“Speaking of that,” She mummers to herself; ignoring the two for a moment as she glances around, “Where is that tick when I need her?”

“You called, my lady?” An eerily squeaky voice calls to Vickie from the shoulder of a young village boy. She stares, sees that the boy’s eyes were one whole grey color, and shakes her head. His eyes were a sign of being under a trance.

“You better make sure that he’s taken right back to his home, Aimi.”

“Of course, master,” the healthy little tick demon bounces up and down on the little boy’s shoulder; long wisps of green hair falling around her small, pretty, fair face as she bit into the boy’s neck with her strange mouth parts. She was a rare Paralysis Tick Demon. Her bite could paralysis and be used for possessing young humans or those with especially weak minds. Vickie didn’t use her much, but the strange little demon was immensely useful when she did. _~Now…If only she didn’t look so weird with that odd shaped mouth and those six leg-like arms sitting a bit too close to her head for it to look even remotely normal~_

The little boy gasps; unheard by the arguing couple as he reaches grubby hands into the worn sleeves of his kimono to hand Vickie a small, oval shaped glass that fit right in the palm of his little hand. Taking it, the youkai keeps her eyes on the boy as he walks away in a slow daze into the dense growth of the forest until he was gone from sight. Pocketing the valuable Matching Glass into her long tamoto*, she clears her throat to grab the attention of the two. Smiling once she sees Kagome become tense, Vickie couldn’t resist messing with her, “Oh, the lead bitch is finally back from her respite. What took you so long?”

“Vickie,” Inuyasha growls in warning. As stated, he knew Vickie didn't like Kagome, but was hoping that, as time went by, she would get use to his girlfriend. Or maybe even pretend to like her one day.

 

That was clearly  ** _not_**  going to happen.

 

“I ended up doing a lot of tests,” The teen answers, “By the time I would finish studying and doing homework, I was just too exhausted to get here at all.”

“Yeah. Sure. Whatever,” Vickie waves her hand in a dismissive manner. She didn’t care if it was a lie or not, so she didn’t bother with it, “So, what are you two arguing about now?”

“Inuyasha won't take a bath,” Kagome tries sounding hopeless; pulling off a frustrated, pouty look with ease, “I was just trying to make him clean himself up.”

“You might right about my brother being stinky-”

“Hey!”

“-but that doesn't give you the right to force him to do anything.”

“I wasn't forcing him,” Kagome continues to pouts, “I just want him to be comfortable.”

Vickie laughs a little, “My brother is most comfortable with guts and entrails hanging off his butt, as far as I know. So, if my brother is happy smelling like he's some kind of skunk demon, than that's that.”

“You know you're not helping much,” Inuyasha grumbles, glaring at his sister and Kagome, “I told you I don't need a bath yet.”

“I don't know how you could lie to yourself like that,” Vickie says, now covering her nose playfully, “phew! Boy! Take a bath!”

“No.”

“Inuyasha,” Vickie narrows her eyes and teasingly leers at him, “you stink so bad, I bet they can smell you in The Present!”

“That's it!” Inuyasha exclaims; eyes promising pain as he stalks his sister.

Vickie yelps and pushes her brother in play; using it as an excuse tug on one of his split ends to get some of his hair.

“Ouch, dammit!” Inuyasha protests before swiping his claws at her.

Vickie avoids the attack and runs for the first thing that guaranteed her escape:

 

The Bone Eater's well.

 

 _~Here goes nothing! ~_  She thought, taking out a jewel shard that she had stolen from Kagome, and jumps in. Eyes shut tight as she keeps falling and falling…

 

And lands on her butt.

 

“Ouch,” she squeals in surprise, pain radiating from her rear. Opening her eyes and cursing quietly, Vickie gets up to rub her sore ass, “No wonder Kagome doesn't have an ass. With landings like that, I might not have one now!” She thought out loud before smiling at the darken walls of the well, “More importantly, I have the Matching Glass,” she remarks cheerily; careful to pull out the piece of magic mirror and wrapping the strands of Inuyasha’s hair around them before then wrapping it in a leaf of a tree to keep it from touching her by mistake, “Now I’ll be able to find another option for my brother.”

The youkai then looks up at the mouth of the well she was in; noting there wasn’t any vine growth or smells that were familiar to her, ~Does that mean…?~ She leaps from the well with ease and looks around. She could see that she was inside some type of old building; the strange smell of humans and other scents she knew not of filling her sensitive nose as Vickie slowly realizes that she's not in the Bone Eater's well in her time.  _~Ah, shit. This can't be good…Am I …?~_  Vickie shakes the thought away with a laugh, “No way! I can't be in The Present! …Or am I?” She looks at the shard she has with her, “I thought to wrap this up with the mirror, but then remembered that it’s technically Kagome’s and not something of my brother’s. Did this maybe…bring me to Kagome’s time?” She ponders out loud. Walking up the stairs inside the dark building, Vickie opens the door to see the grounds of the Higurashi Shrine _. ~Yep. I’m definitely not home~_ she gawks while looking around to discover that the forests she had grown up in was replaced with big strange buildings and dozens of people wearing odd clothing that didn't look anything like her own kimono, “Oh no,” Vickie looks around a little frantically; ignoring the strange stares people gave her that went pass her on the street as the truth really started to hit her, “I really am in The Present!” Vickie then suddenly covers her nose, “And I can STILL smell my stinky brother…Eck!”

Vickie looks at the people around her. Takes note of the streets and how people got into giant or small creatures that let them open theirs sides before going off on the black path. _~What in hell are those?~_ She thought suspiciously. After seeing that a lot of people kept pausing to stare at her, Vickie realized that her more obvious youkai trait, big, somewhat fluffy, black colored ears, was most likely giving her away. Lying them down against her head, the youkai was going to race back for the well when a vibrating feeling went off inside her sleeve. She stops to stare at the concealed Matching Glass, _~A potential girl lives here in this time?~_ She thought; frowning at the idea of meeting another Kagome, “…But this is the Matching Glass. It was rarely wrong. I’ll just follow the vibration and see where it takes me. And, if I don’t think she’s right, I’ll just go back home, get another Mirror Glass taken from the Matcher, and try again,” Vickie reasons with herself in a low undertone; Letting the feel of the mirror guide her while avoiding the strange, noisy black path, _~At least the creatures stay on it. But why the hell would people purposely sacrifice themselves like that? Humans make no sense~_ She sighs; curbing an irrational need to hit one of the creatures and focuses on the task at hand, “I haven’t had much luck in my time whenever I did leave out to see what demons or half demons may qualify. So I can make one hypothesis about it,” Vickie decides; careful to observe how the humans cross the black path before trying it herself quickly with success, “No demon in my time is good enough for my brother, but maybe a demon from this time…” she shakes her head, “But what are the chances of me running into a demon here?” she sighs, turning a corner as she says this, “If I could just run into the right person-”

BUMP!

CRASH!

“AH!”

“WHAT THE FUCK?!”

Vickie detangled herself from another person’s body, then leaps to her feet and into a fighting stance just as a girl does the same thing at the exact same time. The dark skin girl’s appearance causes the youkai to pause in wonder.  _~Is she even Japanese? …But maybe…?!~_  She reaches slowly into her sleeve and gasps quietly.

 

Two pieces of glass brushes her fingers, and there was no vibration to be heard.

 

Vickie had done it.

 

She had found, or bumped into, the potential girl that could change Inuyasha’s life forever…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

**__ **

            Sheila was laughing with Joey; joking about someone they saw in the club they had only visited for about four hours. It was now officially late into the afternoon, and, with only two glasses worth of drinks in her system, the fifteen year old was having the time of her life now walking home with her friends. Seto’s club was amazing. Full of beer, male and female strippers, and all in a classy, upscale setting meant for the most privileged of society. Sheila has never seen anything like it. They danced and played around; making sure not to bother any of Kaiba’s important patrons while having fun.

            Her mind was still wrapping around seeing Joey greet the older man; their arms holding each other romantically. Their kiss chaste but intensely tender.

 

She was envious.

 

            It was like watching a real life book right in front of her. It never mattered to her that the couple was two males; although Yusuke was making a great fuss about it.

“But you two were kissing!” He niggles at the blond.  His own brown eyes dazed from drinking and speech slurred. Unlike Sheila, the older teen had a lot more than just two glasses to gulp down.

“Yeah, so what?” Joey counters; laughing at Yusuke’s funny face of disgust.

She was going to say they were both being immature and drunk when the collision happened. Ready to fight, she stares at the pale girl in a red kimono of traditional style that glances back at her with curious demon-yellow gold and black eyes.

 “You should watch where you're going,” Sheila growls, glaring at the Japanese girl before her, _~Wait a sec… Why is she wearing a traditional kimono in modern day Tokyo?!...It’s worn still, but very, very rarely.~_  She thought suddenly, looking at the girl in open wonder. With a strong, mid lanky, yet still mostly curvy build and the longest hair Sheila has ever seen, she was sure that she had never seen this girl around here before.

The strange girl smiles with teeth that almost make Sheila think they were fangs, “Hello there,” she replies calmly; not fazed by Sheila’s glaring, “I’m sorry about that.” “It’s alright,” Sheila reassures; offering a small smile, “To be honest, I wasn’t paying attention either.”

The stranger seems pleased with her words; a feeling of being looked over and tested going through the young teen.

“Nice gloves by the way,” The stranger compliments; looking at the black gloves that were slightly lumpy with rings hidden underneath their fingerless design.

“Oh, um, thanks,” Sheila flexes her hands a little inside of the gloves, “I’m sorry,” she apologizes, “I’ve never seen you around here before. My name is Sheila,” She points at her friends behind her, “And these drunk fools are my friends. Keiko, Yusuke, and Joey.”

The friends wave at the stranger; too happily drunk to protest against their introduction.

The stranger laughs, “Pleased to meet you all. My name is Vickie. I’m new around here, so I’m not surprised that you’ve never seen me around before.”

“Oh,” Sheila exclaims softly, “I see. Well, other than bumping into me, how are you enjoying the neighborhood?”

“It’s a little loud for me, since I’m used to living in more…rural areas.”

“Really? This part of town is actually pretty quiet compared to others,” Sheila explains before giggling as one of her friends stumble while standing, “Um, is it ok if we walk and talk? I need to get my friends home before they pass out in the street.”

Vickie nods; her large eyes almost puppy-like in their friendliness, “Sure! I haven’t made any friends in the area yet, so it would be great to talk to someone for a change.”

Sheila slowly starts to walk, her lips curving into a brighter smile, “I can show you around if you want. I know you don't really know us, but you can come and watch a movie with us,” Sheila offers.

Vickie hesitates before walking after the darker teen, “Oh, I don't wanna be a bother.”

“Don’t worry. It’s fine. To be honest, I don’t have a lot of friends either,” She grins back at her three friends, “Well, except for these slobs.”

“Hey, dat’s Mr. Slob, thank you,” Joey teases; earning himself a laugh from Keiko and Vickie.

“I would be happy to hang out with you, Mr. Slob, and your other two friends.”

“Great,” Sheila remarks, “Come on, guys. Being a little drunk is no excuse for lagging behind!”

“We’re coming, we’re coming,” Yusuke answers; racing after Vickie and Sheila, and narrowly missed hitting into them as they walk towards the tall apartment building…

**__ **

**__ **

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province,_ ** **_Kaede’s Village_ ** **_, Kaede’s house~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

“Inuyasha, you know I love you, right?”

“Yeah, now that I’ve taken a bath.”

“I’m being serious!”

            Inuyasha looks over at Kagome; wondering if she was upset or just fussy. The sparse room was warm and cozy after the lukewarm bath. The fire in the middle of the room was roaring softly behind the couple as Kagome leans her head on his bare shoulder. He didn’t see a need to put back on his shirt and robe. Kaede was out watching over a birthing villager and left the two to themselves for the coming evening. They had the mat-door rolled up and watching the sun disappear from the sky.

“But you do know I love you, right Inuyasha?”

“Of course I know,” Inuyasha states simply; willing to just enjoy the moment. They don’t get a lot of time together, so the half demon wanted to take advantage of the rare peace to relax and cuddle.

 

He wouldn’t say that was his intention though.

 

It was too embarrassing to say something like that.

 

“Then is there anything you want to…do?”

“Do?”

“You know,” the teen girl blushes and glances at the wooden floor, “It’s not every day we get time alone like this.”

“Yeah…” He mummers, looking back out the open door to see a woman rushing her child home in the midst of a scenic sunset.

“Then we shouldn’t waste it, right?” Kagome continues on, “I mean…Kaede might be gone all night…”

“Probably.”

“So shouldn’t we be doing something?”

“Huh?” Inuyasha moves his attention from the door to his girlfriend, “What are you going on about?”

Kagome’s blush darkens, “Don’t make me say it, Inuyasha!”

“Say what?”

The teen girl gives out an annoyed sound before rolling her eyes and crossing her arms; moving away from the dog demon in upset, “Oh forget it! Miroku and Sango are at another person’s house for a private visit. Sesshomaru took Rin, Kohaku and Shippo with him to where ever he likes disappearing to. And, finally, we’re all alone. If you can’t figure out what I’m talking about, then forget it!”

“Why are you angry all of a sudden?” Inuyasha argues; his voice rising a little, “Why don’t you just tell me what the hell you’re talking about instead of just getting pissed off about it.”

“I shouldn’t have to explain what I’m talking about,” Kagome replies before standing up, “Never mind. I’m getting tired anyways,” she huffs before walking away to a blanket on the floor; her back to him as she lays down.

            Inuyasha suppresses a sigh. He had no idea what he did to break the peace and wished that Kagome would just tell him what she wanted. He didn’t spend a lot of time around girls, or anyone for that matter, and had a hard time understanding what they wanted or needed at times. All he knew was that he was supposed to be doing something that he wasn’t and it was frustrating. _~I can’t just ask her what to do…She’ll think I’m stupid~_ The hanyo thought as the sun winked at him before leaving the sky. _~Kagome…Tell me what you want me to do. There’s nothing I wouldn’t do for you. Just…tell me…~_  

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 


	4. Chapter Three: The Girlfriend Quiz!

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vickie comes up with a very simple way to determine if Sheila is the one...

**__ **

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Three:

 

The Girlfriend Quiz!

 

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment~_ **

****

****

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

She loved action movies. The first movie didn’t really catch her interest, but, when Sheila slipped in an action movie to play, Vickie was hooked.

 

But not hooked enough to forget her mission.

 

            It was dark outside, and the youkai knew her time was limited. _~I’d need to get back to the others by tomorrow. I might get away with waiting till the afternoon, but that’s the longest I can be gone before Sesshomaru or Inuyasha gets suspicious~_ Vickie sighs. With such limited time, how in the world was she going to test this girl the Matching Glass claims to be a possible counterpart to her brother?

“No more games or drinks,” She heard Sheila fuss with Yusuke and Tristan; a young man with odd spiky hair and brown eyes that came in some time ago to join in the further drinking and watching of movies with the group of teens, “You guys are falling over on yourselves and you’re sitting down!”

She smiles as the boys try to protest to her mother hen behavior, but it was a pointless battle. Sheila had already went and got a couple of blankets for them all to cover up with. _~It’s kinda cute to see her dote on them like that~_ Vickie couldn’t help thinking as Sheila covers up the girl that had already fallen to sleep on the floor. And, from the looks of it, the boys weren’t too far off from passing out as well.

“Should we turn off the t.v. and let them rest?”

Sheila nods; the dark teen giggling as the three boys cuddle up in a rather funny little pile in order to fit on the couch, “Yeah. There’s a bedroom down that small hallway we can go into.” She volunteers; pointing towards the open archway that must lead to a hallway.

Vickie gestures with a curt nod and pauses a moment; waiting for the dark teen to finish up with tucking her friends in before continuing onto the average size, semi-dirty bedroom, “Yuck. This is a guy’s room alright,” she wrinkles her nose while warily moving a sock from the messed up bed.

Sheila laughs, “Yeah. I figured it wouldn’t be all that clean in here.”

“Is this your first time visiting here too?”

The human girl nods while getting to work on throwing the thick brown cover off of the bed as well as the sheets, “Yes. This is the first time I went out with my friends too. I’m still not sure of them, but I’m enjoying their company so far.”

 _~She’s got the cleaning habit Kagome has~_ Vickie notes quietly; absorbing as much about the girl as possible. She wasn’t against Sheila having the trait, but was careful to not look to favoring of her just because a glass broke in two _~Mistakes are rare, but they happen~_ The youkai reminds herself before smiling at the human girl, “So you’re having trust issues?”

“…Ever since my mother died, I’ve had a hard time making friends,” Sheila answers quietly.

Vickie frowns, “Your mother?”

“Yeah. She died six months ago. I’m still getting use to Japan, actually. We use to live in Chicago, but, when she got sick, she really wanted to stay here for some reason.”

“I’m sorry for your loss.”

“It’s ok,” The girl smiles sadly, “As long as I keep my promise to her, I am comforted to know that she is happy in heaven.”

“Your promise?”

“Just a little promise between mother and daughter,” Sheila replies vaguely, and Vickie nods in understanding. She just met the teen girl. It was only natural she wouldn’t be comfortable talking about something so precious with her.

“But you have friends now,” Vickie reminds her; smiling when Sheila gives her a sincere little smile of profound happiness.

“Yes, you’re right. I’ll do all I can to protect and honor those friendships.”

“Sounds good. I’m sure they think you make a great friend,” She assures. Vickie took note of her reactions, and determined that Sheila was adamant and serious about that statement. There didn’t seem to be a lie or any hint of hesitation in her words at all.

“I hope so.”

“But what if they are in trouble?”

“Trouble?”

“Like a fight or something.”

Sheila laughs, “I’m the only one that’s ever really fought with any of them and caused any damage. If they need my help, of course I’ll be there for them, but Yusuke gets some kind of training, and Joey is pretty tough when he wants to be. Keiko isn’t a pushover either, so I’d expect her to do quite well in a fight too.”

“So you can fight,” Vickie continues to question; keeping her voice calm and relaxed despite her anxious longing to know more.

“Yes, but I can’t really tell you how,” Sheila confesses with a small frown, “It’s kinda scary but…Even though I’ve never been trained to and don’t tend to like fighting, I’m actually pretty good at it. I haven’t lost a fight yet whenever someone challenges me at school.”

“They challenge you? Why?”

Vickie watches as the dark teen ducks her head, “…It’s because I’m a bastard. My father never married my mother. He just…disappeared…and left us to fend for ourselves.”

“So you don’t have any brothers or sisters, huh?”

“No. At least not any I really consider family.”

“That must have been lonely for you,” Vickie comments. Having half-brothers herself, she could understand the feeling to a certain degree. Sesshomaru wasn’t exactly very cuddly, despite his looks.

“Yeah…It still is sometimes,” Sheila admits; sitting on the side of the bed, “But I try not to let it bother me too much. My mother warned me about sadness not curing anything.”

“True. You miss out on a lot if you’re sad,” Vickie remarks before tilting her head a bit, “You went out with your friends, right? How come you’re not passed out like them?”

“I didn’t get drunk like them. I only tried a few glasses,” Sheila answers, “But I’ll admit to feeling loose and a little buzzed.”

“So then you think you mind playing a role play game with me?”

“Huh?” The teen girl stares at Vickie curiously, “A…roleplay game?”

“Yeah,” The youkai replies, “I give you a scenario and you tell me how you would react to it. It’s kinda a ‘getting-to-know-you’ kinda thing.”

“Oh. I’ve never really played anything like that before, but I like reading a lot, and it sounds like story telling of some sort.”

“I guess it can seem that way. So, what kind of books do you like?”

Sheila blushes brightly, “Romance and adventure.”

“So you like reading about love?” Vickie asks. It was another Kagome trait, but she was hopeful that the girl’s reasoning was different.

“Well, I’ve never been in love before, so I guess it fascinates me.”

 _~Oh crap~_ Vickie mentally curses, _~Is it wise to put two people who don’t really understand love at all together? Maybe this won’t work…But I’ve got to try. For Inuyasha’s sake.~_

“So do you have a boyfriend, Vickie?”

“Yeah, in a way,” The youkai couldn’t help become flushed face at the question, “We’re not official yet, but we’re in love.”

“Really? Is he good to you?” Sheila asks in a serious tone.

Vickie laughs, “He’s very good to me whenever we meet up. Which starts my first roleplay question.”

“I’m glad you have a boyfriend that’s good to you. It gives me hope to hear that guys are still out there that are decent,” the human girl replies; eyes distant. Vickie could guess that she was imagining being in love and all the things a typical virgin girl might dream of when it came to such things.

“I’m glad too. It would suck to have to beat him up just cause he wasn’t any good,” Vickie jokes; happy that Sheila seems to be pulled out of her musing to laugh at the comment, “So, are you ready for the first question?”

“Sure, why not? I’m an insomniac and I don’t have any of my books with me. Maybe I can answer these questions until I get sleepy.”

“Ok. And what’s insomniac?”

“It means I have a really hard time sleeping.”

“Oh,” Vickie nods, “I’ll keep that in mind,” she comes over to the full size bed and sits beside Sheila. “Ok, let’s start.”

“Ok.”

“Now, let’s say you have a boyfriend, but he lives far away from you. Of course you have to live your own life, but he’s kinda needy and gets really lonely if you’re gone for long. What would you do?”

“Hmmm…If I was in that kind of situation, I would find ways to be with him ,” the teen girl lays back on the bed; closing her eyes, “Like…going to his place after school and doing my homework there. I’d just have to get up early to go to school in the mornings, and he could always come and visit me too. My stepmother allows me to have company as long as I warn her, so we could travel back and forth and spend the whole weekends together.”

“But what if that wasn’t enough?” Vickie pressures, “He really needs to be with you. You both are trying to make this relationship work, and every second you can be together counts.”

“Then I guess I could transfer schools and live with him and his parent,” Sheila suggests after a bit of thinking, “If every second counts, then it shouldn’t be wasted. I’d be a little shy of a new place but happy to be there with the love of my life.”

            Vickie nods; mentally smiling at the words _~She’s willing to make sacrifices if she needs to. Good. While I doubt she’ll have to give up her life here, it would be great if Inuyasha could be more included. He shouldn’t have to be hidden from a part of her life. Brother may not say anything, but it stresses and worries him when Kagome does that~_

“Nice answer. Do you wanna try another one?”

“Yes,” Sheila opens her eyes and glances at the youkai, “I like trying to problem solve like this.”

“Alright, I’ll give you a harder one then,” Vickie continues, “You have a guy friend come over and your boyfriend throws a fit. He doesn’t want to tell you, but he’s nervous of you being around other guys. It looks like he might start a fight with your friend. What would you do?”

Sheila frowns, “I should hope I wouldn’t pick a guy like that.”

“But remember this is a roleplay,” Vickie states patiently, “Let’s just say that you fell in love with him even though he has a few flaws here and there, ok?”

“I suppose…,” The teen girl thinks about it before shrugging and smiling a bit, “I think I would reassure him. Let him know that I love him and he can’t be replaced. I may have boys as friends, but he would be my one true boyfriend, you know?”

“Reassure…” Vickie mummers lowly to herself, _~Hmmm…that could work. Inuyasha always gets upset when he thinks someone else might get Kagome. Like Koga. And he’s even snapped at Sesshomaru for talking with her a couple of times. Would simple reassurance be all he needs? A person willing to openly confess love in front of all?~_

“Alright, that sounds possible. What about this one. Your lover is in a life or death fight. He’s not acting normal and nothing you typically do is helping. What would you do?”

“I would help him fight, and stay by his side until he acts normal again,” Sheila says with no hesitation, “I would do anything and everything to bring him back to himself.”

“Anything?”

“Anything.”

“Even if it’s something you really didn’t want to do?”

“Well, yeah. He’s fighting for his life, right? So that wouldn’t be the time to start being picky about I do and don’t want to do.”

_~A bit rash like Kagome, but still. She is being sincere. At least I know she won’t run away once she gets close to him.~_

“Ok, last one. Your lover confesses to you that he is still dealing with another love in his life that he isn’t sure of. He knows he loves you, but he has also been in love with this person for so long, that he doesn’t really know any other love all that well. Suddenly, she shows up before you and says you can ask or make one request. You would be jealous of her. She is your rival in love. What would your request be?”

            The room was silent for a long while; long enough to make the youkai wonder if the human girl might have went to sleep before she heard a small, simple answer.

“Teach me,” Sheila whispers; eyes going distant again, “Please…Teach me how to better love him, so that the will of my heart isn’t wasted. I know you love him too, and might still love him. Which is why I must ask to please teach me how you loved him so he won’t feel so lonely for you when you’re not there,” the human girl blushes; unable to make eye contact with Vickie, “Is…is that a good answer?”

Vickie smiles broadly; worries seeming to fly out of the window, “Yes, that answer’s perfect.” She replies; her mind only able to think one thrilling, exciting and terrifyingly sure thought:

 

_~I think I've found the one. ~_

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 


	5. Chapter Four: He Can Be Kinda Stupid, Huh?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome has frustrations, Miroku and Sango try to settle the lovers, Sheila has curious thoughts of her own, and Vickie goes on a stubborn streak...

**__ **

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

  

**__ **

**__ **

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Four:

 

He Can Be Kinda Stupid, Huh?

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village, Front of Kaede’s House~_ **

****

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

**__ **

            The night has been uneventful. It left Kagome with a bad taste in her mouth as she greets Sango and Miroku with a wave and smile when they approach from their little hiatus with the late morning sun shining behind them, “Welcome back,” she remarks in made-up cheer.

“Hey,” Sango greets back, “Hope we didn’t miss anything.”

“Nope,” Kagome sighs, “Not a thing,” she mutters before again forcing a smile, “Inuyasha isn’t here. I guess he’ll meet up with us or something.”

She watches as they two share a look before nodding at her.

“I’ll go on ahead and see if I can’t run into him,” Miroku informs, “You two mind gathering some supplies before coming after us?”

“Um, sure,” Kagome smiles genuinely now. She knew Miroku was going to talk to Inuyasha alone. _~Maybe he can get through to him, or explain what I want from him.~_ She thought with hope.

The cobalt eyed young man nods; giving Kagome a charming smile that once again has her wondering if it really is all that wrong to flirt with him _, ~I could always lie and say it was a joke~_ She reasons until the monk leans over to plant a chaste, open mouth kiss on Sango’s lips that end with his tongue teasingly swiping over the slayer’s tongue, _~On second thought, maybe not. He’s already so lost in Sango.~_ She sighs a little gloomily, _~And I’m pretty sure they’re already having sex and everything. Even though Miroku is still a pervert. They seem so inseparable. Will Inuyasha and I ever be that way?~_

            Kagome shakes her head of that thought in time to wave good-bye at Miroku as he walks out of the village; the soft clinking of his staff rings a gentle chime in wake. She knew she should have taken him more seriously when they first met, but she was still a virgin then. Kagome was also getting use to Inuyasha without realizing that her heart was opening up to him. _~It’s no use. While I might think of having sex with others, it isn’t enough. I need to know how Inuyasha feels. I need him to move us on to the next level of this relationship already… To prove his love for me…~_ …

 

 

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Kuki Junior High, Detention~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            Sheila taps her pencil on the desk in pure boredom while staring at the clock. Wishing she could will time to move faster. Her mind was preoccupied with her new friends. Especially Vickie. The game they played while the others were sleeping off their drinks had intrigued her and made her really think of the work it was to be in a real relationship. _~Would I really be able to handle a guy that isn’t perfect? I mean no one is perfect, but could I deal with a boy that would need me like she said? Or any guy for that matter.~_

Her imagination was going wild. Instead of focusing on the sweet stuff, like walking together hand in hand or having a great time together, the teen’s mind was now full of all the troubles that had the habit of ruining a relationship. Lost in her ponderings, she almost didn’t hear the bell signaling her freedom at last. Shouldering her blue book bag, the young teen walks out of the building and smiles at seeing a gorgeous red head leaning against the building.  His brilliant green eyes were hidden due to his eyes being closed, and his delicate features hid a fierce heart and fighter. With Yusuke leaning beside him while Keiko talks at him about something Sheila couldn’t hear, the dark teen dared to approach the enchanting teen.

“Hey guys,” she greets them, “What are you all doing here?”

“Waiting on you,” Yusuke answers; voice a little strained still after all his drinking yesterday, “Kurama happened to be around and decided to visit.”

“Is everything ok,” Sheila asks instantly. When she first met the handsome teen, he was searching earnestly for something and seemed really concerned about not finding it. It was a warm day, and only about a month ago when that happened.

Kurama opens his eyes, smiling at how breathless it made her to see the mesmerizing orbs, “Everything is fine. No need to worry. I’m sorry you all haven’t seen very much of me, I’ve been busy doing some work with my friend.”

“I’m just glad you’re ok, Yoko,” Keiko remarks. Sheila nods in agreement. Kurama’s nickname made no sense to her, but the dark teen didn’t feel she had right to ask about it. _~Doesn’t that word mean fox demon? Why would Keiko give him such a strange nickname?~_  
The handsome teen smiles good-naturedly, “I heard you’ve made a new friend.”

“You mean Vickie?” Sheila asks before smiling at Kurama’s nod, “Yeah. She left this morning to go to her own school I guess,” she shrugs, “She left in a real rush, but said something about being over at Tristan’s house if she could.”

“I see. I was hoping to meet her. Perhaps you don’t mind me tagging along with you?”

“Not at all,” Sheila answers, “I don’t mind you hanging out with us. Speaking of which,” she stares around the three and frowns a little, “Where’s Joey?”

“With Seto,” Yusuke shivers and sticks out his tongue, “He’ll meet up with us at Tristan’s. Hopefully minus the boyfriend by then.”

            She laughs at her friend’s distaste for the same-sex relationship, “I think it’s kinda cute,” Sheila confesses; walking with her friends towards the apartment.

“Don’t mind Yusuke,” Keiko playfully rolls her eyes, “He’s part caveman, so new concepts are hard for him to grasp sometimes.”

“Oh ha ha, you’re not funny,” Yusuke sneers before reaching out and grabbing hold of the girl’s hips. Sheila watches as Keiko screeches out laughter, and again wonders about the work of being in a relationship. _~Aren’t they dating? I wonder how they handle fights or arguments. Yusuke is so different from her…How do they make it work?~_

“Sheila.”

The teen girl pulls herself from her thoughts at the sound of Kurama’s voice, “Y-yes?”

“Why don’t you tell me more about your new friend?”

“Vickie? Well, there isn’t much I know just yet. I don’t even know where she lives yet, to be honest.”

She looks over at the boy in time to seen his handsome face crease into lines of thought.

“Interesting. Well, hopefully, your new friend will feel comfortable enough to trust you and tell you about herself today.”

“I hope so,” Sheila remarks distractedly _. ~That’s right. I don’t know anything about Vickie. I’ll have to ask her about herself when we meet her at the apartment. But…~_ She glances secretively at Kurama, _~…Why does he want to know so much about her? He doesn’t really know anything about me, and yet he’s trying to learn about Vickie. A girl he hasn’t even met yet…Why?...~_

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Unnamed village path from Kaede’s Village~_ **

 

**_ ~Sango~ _ **

 

“Alright, Kagome. Out with it.”

“Huh? What do you mean, Sango?”

“You’ve been quiet ever since Miroku left and we’ve gathered supplies,” The slayer explains, “There is something bothering you, isn’t  there?”

            Sango continues to watch the young priestess frown as they walk the path from Kaede’s Village. She knew it had to have something to do with Inuyasha. He was the only one that could ever get Kagome to look so down or upset.

“It’s just…I’m worried that I might lose Inuyasha.”

“What? How could you think something like that,” Sango inquires calmly, “You know Inuyasha is crazy about you. He just has a funny way of showing it.”

“But what if he starts listening to his sister?”

“You mean Vickie, the dog and wolf mixed youkai?”

Kagome nods despondently, “I know she doesn’t like me. Not even a little. And we finally got some time alone, but…,” she blushes, “All he wanted to do was stare at the sunset.”

“Not offense, but Inuyasha can be dense about stuff like that, Kagome,” Sango replies, “I’m sure he loves you. No matter what his sister feels about. She just needs time to get used to it. I think she’s just not use to sharing her brother with anyone. From what I’ve heard from Vickie herself, Inuyasha practically raised her while being a kid himself. They just have a strong bond, and it’s taking time for her to accept not being the most important person in his life.”

“You think so?”

Sango nods; a soft hum leaving her lips in an affirmative sound as she does so, “Yes. I believe you’ll be great friends one day, Kagome. You’re a nice person. You just have to give her time to see that.”

“But…What if she never sees that?”

“Then Inuyasha will have to choose between you and his sister. I hope it doesn’t come down to that, but she’ll have to learn to respect that you two are in love and her interference is not ok.”

Kagome beams softly at Sango, “Thank you, Sango. You’re a great friend.”

“Thank you. And you are too,” the slayer smiles back at the priestess, “Why don’t you try sitting down and talking with Inuyasha about it?”

“I try but…it’s embarrassing. Not to mention that Inuyasha sometimes just doesn’t get it.”

            Sango contemplates that. She and Kagome have become great friends. From fighting partners to advice on hair care, there wasn’t anything that the slayer hasn’t learned to trust her friend with.

 

Except her own heart.

 

            Rather she is willing to tell the girl or not, Sango could admit to herself that Kagome was the type that was lead by her heart. _~A troubling thing when you share your soul with Kikyo~_ She thought _. ~I don’t doubt that Kagome’s emotions are sincere, but is Inuyasha really the one for her? While he is a great guy on some levels, he doesn’t seem all that good for her~_

“I know what you mean,” Sango states after a while to Kagome’s words. She made it her business to not get involved in their love life, but this girl wasn’t just someone she could pretend didn’t matter.

 

If Inuyasha hurt her, Sango wasn’t sure what she would end up doing about it.

 

 _~Miroku, my love…Please knock some sense into that half-wit before he lets the best person to ever come into his life get away~_ …

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Western Musashi Province, Path going towards Akane Village~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Miroku~ _ **

 

            With only the sounds of nature and his monk senses for company, Miroku walks the small path leading to another village not far from Kaede’s when he felt the instinct to stop.

“Inuyasha, I know you’re here.”

“Yeah, so?”

The monk looks up; seeing the dog-eared half demon lounging in a tree, as was his habit. ~Would have thought he was a monkey demon if it wasn’t for the ears and all the growling he does~ He thought privately. Still able to remember that fateful day of first meeting Inuyasha, Miroku wasn’t sorry to have a half demon for a friend. In retrospect, he didn’t really care back then either, but had a more rigid idea of how demons were.

 

Inuyasha blew that idea to pieces.

 

The monk could only believe in one thing now.

 

The half-demon before him wasn’t like any demon dwelling in there time now.

 

And, in some ways, that wasn’t a good omen for his friend.

 

“Kagome is worried about you.”

“I bet.”

“Did you two fight?”

“No…I don’t think we did,” Inuyasha states slowly. Miroku could hear the confusion in his voice, and felt sympathy for him.

 

Humans had a hard enough time figuring their own emotions.

 

Mix some demon in there, along with a reincarnated lover, as well as the past said lover that is now very much alive, but with no power to her name now, and the monk could confess to not being envious.

 

It wasn’t an easy situation, and he sometimes wondered if Inuyasha wasn’t better off just leaving both women alone.

 

            Sure, he understood his lover’s worry of Kagome getting taken advantage of, but Miroku couldn’t help thinking that, much like an actual dog, the chances of being the one abused was leaning more towards the demon in this case. _~He doesn’t even understand his emotions. He should be grateful to be with a fine girl like Kagome, but even I know that things are not that simple~_

“If you don’t think so, then why didn’t you wait for her to wake up so she could leave with you?”

“…”

“Mind coming down here to talk about it?”

“There’s nothing to talk about, monk,” Inuyasha seems to growl impatiently, “I got up early, didn’t want to wait, and left. There wasn’t a fight at all. Kagome was just slow to wake up.”

“And yet usually, if there is one person you would wait for, it’s her.”

“Whatever.”

“Don’t be shy, Inuyasha,” Miroku goads the demon; knowing his pride, “A real man can stand up and admit his feelings.”

“It’s not about my feelings, idiot. It’s about Kagome’s.”

“Kagome’s?”

“She got mad at me for nothing last night,” Inuyasha finally explains, “We were alone, and I guess I was supposed to be doing something. But…”

“…You didn’t know what she wanted you to do,” Miroku surmises. Inuyasha becomes silent, a sign to the monk that he hit the nail on the head, “It’s fine, Inuyasha. Even on a good day, women are mysterious. Sango pitches a fit that I don’t understand every now and then, and I’ve learned not to take it personally.”

“You probably should, considering when she throws a fit it’s typically your fault.”

“I could say the same of you with Kagome,” Miroku counters, making sure to hold back his laugh at Inuyasha’s scowling, “Nevertheless, women shall be women. And, as a consequence, will always hold us in eternal wonder and fear.”

“Still…I’m starting to think that all I do is make her mad these days.”

Miroku again restrains himself. This time the monk wanted to stare at the half-demon in appreciation. Sometimes it can look like Inuyasha wasn’t paying attention, but the monk suspected that it wasn’t always the case.

 

 

Being aware of Kagome’s feelings, when he doesn’t seem to comprehend them, was enough to convince the human male.

 

“Maybe it’s almost time for that time of the month,” Miroku suggests. He decided to talk to Sango about these findings while watching Inuyasha make a face and vow to never go within several feet of the woman once she started to stink. _~Who is really the victim? I know Kagome is the best one for him…But it means nothing if Inuyasha can’t see it for himself. Perhaps it’s something that can only be speculated on. As for better or worse, the two seem so sure of calling themselves a couple. And, for both of their sakes, I pray that they are right when they call each other that.~_...

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Honoka Forest, Shitaku Fields of Sesshomaru~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sesshomaru~ _ **

 

            There was something going on with his sister. The aristocrat couldn’t put his finger on it, but, watching the dog/wolf youkai talk to Rin before hugging him and racing off, he knew something was up. _~Is her secret boyfriend sick?~_ He thought. Of course he knew about the supposedly secret boyfriend of Vickie. He is Sesshomaru, after all.

There was little that could be hidden from him. He even knew why she wanted to keep it a secret. _~Inuyasha will not be happy. He still sees that man as an enemy. Although rather he’s still human at this time is debatable.~_ He thought; sensing rather than seeing the young fox demon coming towards him. Of all the group members, the little fox demon had lost the most in the eyes of Sesshomaru. No father. No mother. Not even the strength and training of his father had yet to be passed down to him. _~If he does not get real training soon, he will be a waste of a demon~_

“S-Sesshomaru,” the demon kit hesitantly comes to him. The boy, it seems, still harbors a natural fear of him, “C-can I ask you something?”

“…What is it, Shippo?” He asks quietly; not looking in his direction as he continues to sit in his resting spot of one of the many secluded fields he liked to disappear into. Sesshomaru didn’t need to look at the little demon to hear him, incidentally, and wasn’t so mentally pressed as to give up his thoughts of his sister.

            He had known of her existence, but her mother was a famous, rare Honshu Wolf Demon. _~Better known as the Prophecy Wolf Demon to humans, its ability to predict disasters and warn people of them has made the creature seem benign. Ignorance, in this case, is bliss. While they didn’t associate with humans just like most wolf demons, they had abilities that made it a powerful foe to any that wanted to try attacking it. Advanced shifting abilities, and magic known to even bring back the dead under the right circumstance, it makes sense that sister wouldn’t want to be bothered with humans. There is no guarantee she could ever bring them back if they die a certain way, and yet she risks this with her new potential mate. Clearly, there is more to the man than is being said to have snared such difficult prey as Vickie~_    

“I’m worried about Kagome,” the little kit confesses; oblivious to the older demon’s thoughts, “She doesn’t seem happy with Inuyasha.”

“And?” He asks. It wasn’t that Sesshomaru didn’t care. He just didn’t see the point of openly caring. Caring wouldn’t stop the two from being together, and needless caring was like wasting one’s energy on a purposeless game.

 

Amusing, but ultimately, a waste of time he didn’t want to commit to.

 

If Inuyasha didn’t have enough sense to see the relationship wasn’t working, Sesshomaru knew it was an aimless mission to save him from it.

 

“What can we do?” Shippo asks, “Isn’t there any way to help Inuyasha and Kagome not hurt each other? They seem destine to be together, but can’t stop fighting at every turn.”

“…”

“Sesshomaru…?”

“We will have to wait and see. Fetch Kohaku and Rin,” the dog demon orders calmly, “We’re leaving to join the others before they get too far ahead for us to meet with them today.”

“R-right,” Shippo nods; seeming to gravitate to a mission. The aristocrat thought of the kit’s words and gives out a slow, even breath that wanted to escape as a sigh. _~The fool would most likely rather die than ever part with his woman. And, if she succumbs to the greed of sensuality…brother might just get his wish…~_

**_~Feudal Era Japan~ Musashi Province~ Inuyasha Forest~ The Bone Eater’s Well~_ **

****

****

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

**__ **

“Do you mind letting the others know that I’ll be lagging a bit behind, Rin?” Vickie had purposely asked her to do it. She wanted to make sure that her message got through in a way where it was sure to sound reassuring and not worry her brothers. Rin was the kind of girl that could word things so innocently, they wouldn’t think to worry until later at what she had told them.

“Is this about…him?” Rin questions her. An irrational side of Vickie had her blushing at the thought of racing off to see her boyfriend again. As he had asked, she’s been giving him space.

“No. I’m going to see a friend of sorts. I’ll be back by tonight or tomorrow, if I can help it. I will definitely be back in two days, max,” Vickie lets Rin know. She knew she couldn’t be gone long. Any longer than the few days, and Inuyasha would drop everything to find out what she was up to ~I can’t let him know. At least not yet. If he finds out that I have been looking for another girlfriend for him, he’ll flip on me, and I could lose his trust~

“OK. I’ll see you then Vickie,” Rin replies sweetly, the young woman’s brown eyes shining with the only true purity the youkai has been able to find in this time.

            Those eyes were still on her mind as she stares down into the Bone Eater’s Well. ~…Her eyes were like that. They weren’t as innocent as Rin’s, but the shining of hidden innocence and affection so big it can’t hide itself even when she tries to…Sheila and Rin are almost one in the same…But so is Sheila and Kagome….Yes…Kagome’s eyes also express a sort of innocence in them…but it’s very clear that her affections are something you have to dig and look for hidden underneath the irises of those eyes…Sheila…Which path will you choose? Will you let your Rin shine through…or shall you lose faith and allow your insecurities to change you into an even worse Kagome than we already deal with…?~

“There’s only one way to find out,” Vickie determines; leaping into the well with purpose.

 

This was it.

 

The demon girl vowed to not go through the well again without the potential life-mate of Inuyasha with her.

 

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

               


	6. Chapter Five: Earned Friendship Leads To A Better Girl

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheila and Vickie fight for the Will of her Heart...

**__ **

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

  

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Five:

 

Earned Friendship Leads To Being a Better Girl

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment~_ **

****

****

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

**__ **

“Where the hell is she? It’s starting ta get dark.”

Joey’s protest fell on deaf ears. Sheila wasn’t going to stop waiting in front of the apartment of Tristan until her new friend appeared. Meaning that everyone was outside with her. She didn’t know when it happened, but Kurama’s words on the way to the apartment starts to make sense to the dark teen now that she had time to think on it.

 _~He said to take good care of my little group. That…rather I liked it or not…my friends were relying on me to guide them because I’m the strongest~_ The thought perplexes Sheila. She never had anyone rely on her, and it made her heart jump around discomfortingly in her chest.

 

She was nervous.

 

 _~I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to them because they trust me. But…I need them~_ She realizes; suppressing a gasp of discovery.

 

It’s only been one day of accepting their friendship, and already she knew their value in her life.

 

Her heart wouldn’t let her deny it.

 

Their friendship helped cure the loneliness and gave her one thing she didn’t have in her young life.

 

“Purpose,” She whispers to herself; taking a peek at Kurama to her right and little behind to see him smiling at her while leaning against the building, “They give me purpose, right?”

            The smile on his face broadens before he busies himself with dusting his pink and gold trimmed school suit. Apparently, she guessed right.

“I think that’s her coming now,” Keiko says hopefully, standing to Sheila’s right.

“Yeah, that’s her,” Yusuke, whom was on her left, speaks up; his hands settling into the pockets of his jeans, “She’s wearing that strange kimono again.”

            Sheila smiles. All her nervous feelings became nonexistent once the strange girl came into sight and was crossing the street to her. ~Maybe I wasn’t nervous, but wary because someone I’m starting to think of as a friend didn’t arrive yet~ She observes of herself. It was one trait she developed after her mother’s death. She felt that, in order to learn of the will of her heart, she had to first learn about herself. It didn’t help her discover that will, but it was useful in figuring out her emotions and understanding what was going on around her. _~Like finding out that I have leader tendencies~_ Sheila thought nebulously. She’d have to figure that out later. For now, there was a friend to greet.

“Hello again.”

“Hi,” Vickie smiles at the group, “Hope I didn’t have you waiting for long.”

“Nah, it’s only been hours,” Joey instantly complains.

Sheila laughs, “Don’t mind him. He was just hoping to spend the day with Seto and he couldn’t make it due to some work with the club as well as his company, Kaiba Corp.”

“Sounds like a busy guy,” the girl answers before tilting her head at the red head, “And who is he?”

“I’m Kurama,” Kurama introduces himself. He sits up straight and walks over to them. His smile was charming as usual, “Pleased to meet you. I don’t go to the same school as these guys, so I’m rarely around.’

“I see,” Vickie answers in a voice that has Sheila frowning a bit, _~Was that a…growl?~_

“Is everything ok, Vickie?”

The girl smiles, “Everything is fine. I just got held up by my brothers.”

“Brothers?”

“Oh right. I haven’t told you about them at all, have I?”

Sheila shakes her head; her mind going back to the thoughts she had earlier of asking her new friend questions, “No, you haven’t. Other than your name, the fact that you’re new to the area and don’t go to my school, I actually don’t know anything about you. But you know quite a bit about me.”

“Well, I did ask in order to find those things out,” Vickie points out; causing Sheila to blush.

“I know that! That’s why I’m asking now.”

Vickie slowly smiles. It wasn’t pleasant and had Sheila’s spine tingling with wariness, “Are you hoping to become my friend?”

Sheila nods. Just because she was starting to tense up, didn’t mean she wouldn’t be true to herself. She wanted Vickie’s friendship. Was already seeing the other teen as a friend even. So there was no denying her desire for it.

“Ok then. You’ll have to fight me for it.”

Sheila stares at Vickie in shock, “Wha-what?”

“I said you’ll have to fight me for it,” the strange girl softens her smile in order not to look so menacing, “I want you to show me the will of your heart.”

Sheila’s eyes widen at the use of words; her heart leaping in her chest again, “Will of my heart?”

“Yes. To have a willful heart, or a heart that lives on purpose, is a great burden. It challenges the very laws and fabric of life. It bleeds and yearns constantly to escape a solid definition and demands to lead the way to what really makes it pound,” Vickie says with strong conviction; her eyes never leaving Sheila’s, “A heart full of will is considered disobedient by most who don’t fully understand it as the way to being one’s real self. For most are willing to disregard it and live as others say they should. But there are a few who will only live by the will of their heart. So tell me, Sheila, which are you? Will you fight me to show me the true will of your heart?”

She could barely hear Vickie. So loud was the pounding in her chest. The will of her heart finally had a meaning. But, upon hearing that, Sheila could feel it was just the beginning. Like she was looking down a cliff and knew the only way down was to jump.

 _~I’m jumping, mother~_ She thought; tears forming in her eyes as she smiles at Vickie, _~Can you see me jumping? Do you see me finally finding the path of my willful heart?~_

“Yes, Vickie,” Sheila answers lowly; vaguely feeling the surprise of her friends around her, “I’m ready to keep my mother’s promise, and find the Will of my heart. If that means fighting you to see it, then let’s do it.”

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

            Vickie’s heart leapt in thrilling joy at the words. ~Yes!~ She thought in private elation, _~I see it! I see what my mother was talking about to me so long ago._

_“Your will is all you need, Victoria. You don’t need food, water, or even love as much as you need the will to want it in the first place. Trust in your will, and nothing will ever stop you from having all you want.”_

_Mother…Her own mother has taught her the same. I see now…This fight will gain me a new friend…And Inuyasha a stronger, willful heart that shall find its way to him…No matter the consequences of doing so~_

“Sheila, win this fight and I will not only give you my friendship,” Vickie gets into a fighting stance; hands in a claw position resembling a wolf ready for battle, “But I will acknowledge you as my sister, and give you a family name that is sacred to my family. Now, are you ready?”

“Ye-yes.”

“You sure? I won’t go easy on you.”

“Are ya nuts?!” Joey pitches a fit, “Sheila this is crazy. It sounds like a fight to the death or something.”

“I’ll be ok,” Sheila remarks with a soft smile, “I can’t afford to lose this. So I won’t.”

“Then stop talking and start fighting,” Vickie growls; body posed for it. She would try to start slow, but it was difficult. Her wolf mother had taught her long ago to not ever hold back, so restraint wasn’t her strong suit. _~Don’t kill the poor human, Vickie. She’s useless to Inuyasha as a corpse, and it’s hardly a good way to start a friendship.~_ the youkai thought to herself before tensing at seeing Sheila take a few breaths and charge.

            She easily avoids the starting strike, but her eyes widen when she ends up having to avoid another leg attack only seconds after the other _~She’s fast! Must too fast for a human. But she smells human enough…Just a watery coconut scent…Maybe there’s more to her than I thought~_ Vickie winces as she avoids another kick, but was unable to get out of the way of the other leg that kicks out at her while Sheila balanced on her hands to do the double kick, _~Alright then!~_

Vickie gives out a blood curdling howl while swiping her long nails at Sheila; satisfied when the girl’s tight shirt rips in three stripes across her chest. The girl gasps; gripping her chest a moment before glaring at Vickie. That just makes her laugh though. She couldn’t resist. The dark teen was a tough one.

“Had enough yet?”

“Never,” Sheila shouts; going back in to try and punch Vickie, but she saw it coming and trips the poor girl by bending down and tugging her by her ankle until she dropped. The move didn’t seem to bother Sheila. She just kicks out; her black gym shoes knocking into Vickie’s shoulder hard before she gets back up and balls her fists. Vickie snickers; ignoring the slight sting in her shoulder as she runs at Sheila to once again claw at her chest. But Sheila moves to the side and tries again for a punch.

            Missing once again when Vickie merely moves out of the way, the girl cries out in surprise when Vickie punches her in the gut hard enough to maim a human. Shaking on the fist nearly embedded in her stomach, Sheila suddenly shoots up; her head hitting into Vickie’s chin just as hard.

Vickie grunts at the contact; removing her fist from Sheila’s stomach in order to knock her in her back to the ground. Oblivious to the slowly growing crowd in front of Tristan’s house mixing with Sheila’s friends, Vickie cracks her jaw back in place before stomping the dark teen into her back, “Is that it? If that’s the case, I might not make a sister today.”

“Ahhh! Ga-ahhhh!” Sheila cries in pain. The youkai sneers even while on the inside hoping that the girl gets back up. _~Don’t disappoint me, Sheila. If you don’t win, we all lose in the end…Including Inuyasha~_

**_ ~Kurama~ _ **

_“_ Sheila! NO!” Keiko screams; ready to interfere.

“No, Keiko,” Yusuke holds her back; eyes not leaving the fight only ten feet away from them, “She has to do this.”

“What? Why?”

“Because, if she doesn’t, she’ll never feel like she’s earned the right to the will of her heart,” Kurama explains.  Watching Vickie fight, along with her reaction from before, proved enough for him.

 

She wasn’t human.

 

But, then again, neither was he.

 

            He was almost tempted to hit Keiko when she stated his other name for the human girl to hear, but knew it was pointless. ~Sooner or later, it will be known, no matter what I do about it.~ He thought calmly; watching as Sheila struggles to her feet. Seeing the girl pant and rub away a bit of blood from her chin, the male youkai was tempted to think nothing special of her.

 

But he knew better.

 

No human should be left standing after being hit in the stomach like that, and Kurama was sure that, somewhere in that body of hers, Sheila couldn’t be human. ~I’ll have to keep an eye on her. She hangs out with Yusuke, but her fighting style is starting to look dragon~ he thought. He continues to watch as Sheila takes the majority of the beatings. Vickie was obviously trained, and being a demon was only a power bonus.

 

In his mind, Sheila should have been destroyed.

 

            But the sweeping curve of her arms as she deflects an attack in order to hit Vickie in the throat when she comes in with her claws…The way her legs moved as if swaying as a dragon would before she does a spin kick in retaliation to a clawed punch to her side. The kick wasn’t successful, but the quick, almost snake like punch to Vickie’s stomach and face with an undulating twist of her back hit their marks with no problem. _~She’s fighting on instinct…She has no training, and already, Sheila is proving too dangerous for anyone to fight with other than demons. Her strength is growing…She can’t possibly be human…But then…Who was her mother?...And why is her power only now coming to the surface?~_

            He continues to watch. The crowd was becoming thick and noisy as the two girls fight with all they have. Vickie using her demon experience and training to swipe in quickly with deadly accuracy with her claws before backing up and stalking. Sheila using nothing more than pure instinct while bobbing and swaying to some Gypsy rhythm that has her head and neck moving in deceptively slow and graceful curves while her hands snap out with life-threatening strikes to hit the neck, stomach, or legs.

            Both were deadly in their own right. So it didn’t surprise Kurama in the least when both end up falling to their knees; eyes glaring at each other with the intensity of their will. _~It’s almost over. Come on, Sheila. The only way to earn respect in a wolf pack is to fight and win… There are no consolation prizes for losers…~_

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

**__ **

            Sheila knew something had to be broke. Her body was sensitive and sore, and her ears weren’t working right. There was nothing but ringing. She knew that the crowd must have been loud, but her world was silent. Her eyes were trained on Vickie; her heart thrumming an anthem that sings through her whole wrecked being. This is what she’s been waiting for. This moment to confront the limits of her body.

 

And keep fighting anyway.

 

            Vickie looked as bad as she felt. Her left eye was shut. Her lip was swollen. Her stance seems to shiver and get unsteady.

 

But she smiles at Sheila.

 

She felt it too. Was feeling the same high and rush. In this moment of pain and determination, Sheila realized that they were one. Forcing herself to her feet, she glares down at Vickie; a smile gracing her own painfully sore mouth. Perhaps her jaw really was broken. As well as one of her ribs most likely.

“Do I need to do more?”

“…No, oneesan,” Vickie replies calmly; slowly getting to her feet as well, “I saw what I needed to see,” she bows her head slightly, “I submit to my new sister. Welcome to the family.”

“Thank you, Vickie,” Sheila bows back before her world went black…

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 


	7. Chapter Six: Spying On Brutal Love

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kagome takes what she wants...not knowing that someone was watching...
> 
> Warning: This chapter contains rape in it, as well as the first hints of forced drug use.

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Six:

 

Spying On Brutal Love

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko Forest, Unknown Cave~_ **

****

****

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

****

“Hmm!...Oh!...a-ahh…ahh, Koga!” Kagome moans; her legs wrapping around the wolf demon’s slim, powerful hips as he thrusts his member insides the folds of her body. She could feel him invading her senses. Making her body arch while becoming sticky and wet body. She was so close. _~Just a little more.~_ She thought. Her mind was hazy with lust as her naked body accepts the demon’s passions.

“Hmmn…Kagome,” Koga groans his ecstasy. With hands braced on the ground on either side of the her head, Kagome gasps and grips his shoulders in a painfully tight grip as the speedy demon moves with the ferocity of the winds that moved around him into a tornado when he decided to run like that.

In and out. In, in further. Far enough into her core that his balls seemed in danger of following his member inside her. Then all the way out just to slam back into her sweet spot; doing this several times so fast, it was impossible to see with the naked eye.

“KOGA!!!” Kagome screams, her body going taut and shaky as she rides out her second orgasm in the night underneath the wolf demon.

            She's been very tense lately, but was more than happy to let the awful worries of Inuyasha and his blasted sister go. _~He’s just been quiet all day, and Vickie has been gone too. That should have been a good thing, except it seemed to have made Inuyasha more broody. I wish that girl had a collar sometimes~_ She thought waiting in sated boredom as Koga howls his own orgasm a few moments after her, sperm traveling so hot and fast that it splashes out around his strong member.

 

It made Kagome VERY glad that she was secretly taking pregnancy pills for all of this…activity.

 

 _~Thank goodness that mom trusts me to go to the doctor by myself. She would ask so many questions if she knew I had birth control pills I was taking~_ Kagome frowns a little at the thoughts. Her breathing was still erratic when she shivers at the feel of him slowly pulling out.  

“Gods, Kagome,” Koga groans; flaccid cock twitching between his legs as the sizable member settles and he lays to the side of her on the thick fur they were sharing, “That was great!”

She hums and nods in agreement. Secretly, she was ignoring him. Sitting up slowly, she shivers again as his sperm slides out of her body. The gentle night breeze swaying the tree limbs and sending chilling shudders all throughout her shiny body as it came into the cave wasn’t helping either. Sex with Koga was good, but she knew that sex with Inuyasha would nearly be enough to wean her off other men.

 

At least she thought so.

 

Yet no matter how long she waited or hinted, Inuyasha just wouldn't make a move on her and Kagome was becoming impatient.  _~I_ _know I'm beautiful enough. Everyone says so all the time~_  she thought with an angry flick of her hands through her sex-matted, “Koga-pulled” hair,  _~ and surely I'm tempting enough! So what's taking him so damn long to fuck me already?!~_

“Hey, Kagome,” Koga frowns over at her, the demon able to see that she was upset, “Are you ok?”

“Yeah,” she smiles at him, “It’s just been a really long day.”

“Inuyasha’s watcher being too much again?”

Kagome giggles. Koga had a habit of calling Vickie the watcher. Although both of them were wolves, Koga and Vickie seem to rub each other wrong for some reason, and so the two avoided talking or bothering with each other. _~Maybe they were dating and things fell apart? I know Koga was dating Ayame, but then they just…drifted away from each other somehow…~_ She frowns; disturbed by the thought, _~…I hope that doesn’t happen to me and Inuyasha. I have to get through to him somehow. We need to have sex. And soon, before he gets away.~_

“Kagome.”

“Huh?”

“Wow, you really are distracted,” Koga raises a black brow, “You didn’t even answer the question.”

“I’m sorry, Koga,” Kagome apologizes; blushing at her side-tracked mind. _~I’ll have to try one more time to talk to Inuyasha. I can’t give up. It’s starting to affect my attention to anything else…Inuyasha…~_

 Unknowingly interrupts her thoughts, Koga slowly sits up and crosses his legs into a pretzel, “Kagome, We've got to talk.”

“About what,” she asks. Standing up, she walks over to her clothes folded not too far away from the furs laid out as a bed. Kagome was starting to feel cold, and knew she would have to get cleaned up before returning to the group. _~Inuyasha would have figured me out by now if I didn’t wash with scented soaps. His nose is so sensitive…I wonder if he’d even care if he smelled other men on me…Would he get mad? Would that make him finally take me to bed?~_

 “This is our fifth time ‘trying-things-out’ together,” Koga begins, turning a little red, “I seriously think it's time to end this now.”

Kagome blushes out of irritation  _~here we go again~_  she thought grimly, trying to come up with an excuse while appearing to calmly pick up her clothes as well as her backpack beside them and wanders to the little cave pond only several feet away to wash herself in. It wasn’t a warm bath, but it would do to get the scent off of her body.

“I want you to be mine,” Koga says bluntly, watching for a reaction with a determined look on his handsome, tanned face, “I want you to be my mate.”

Kagome tries to look innocently flustered him before beginning to clean herself with the heavily scented soap, “You know there is nothing else in the world I dream of doing, Koga,” she flatters him with her lie, “but you know I can’t yet.  
“Why not?”

“We’re still looking for the Shikon Jewel. They need me, Koga. Plus I was the one who broke it by mistake.”

“But that was a mistake,” He continues to try and convince her, “And can’t that other priestess chick do the same thing as you?”

Kagome tenses at the mention of the woman. She knew he meant Kikyo, “I think she’s still paying the energy debt for wanting to become a full human,” she explains; hazily recalling what she has heard from Sango about it. Kikyo had found a spell to make her human again. The catch? She would have to die and give up a majority of her powers.

            That has been all of three months ago, and Kagome tried her best to not think about it. _~If I don’t bring it up, Inuyasha won’t bring it up. I’m tired of her coming along and making him rethink being with me.~_ She thought in frustration. Taking a moment to dunk her head in the water a few times to clean her hair and wash away the very idea of Kikyo.

“But they just need her eyes, don’t they?”

“Inuyasha doesn’t want to be around her anymore,” Kagome replies; determining that he must feel that way, since he has her to help him instead, “And I don’t want her to fix my mistakes. I have to make it right, Koga.”

Koga nods in understanding, “OK,” he smiles at her arrogantly, “then I'll have to help you find them.”

“NO,” Kagome screams abruptly, then blushes as Koga grabs his ears and glares at her.

“What's gotten into you lately, Kagome,” he questions in annoyed sarcasm, “you're more abusive than usual.”

“I'm not abusive,” Kagome sighs, “Like I already said, I'm just having a bad day is all.”

“Yeah,” Koga calms down and agrees with her, “you have been pretty stressed out for a while now,” he frowns in concern, “maybe I really should be helping you find those broken pieces of the jewel.”

“No, Koga,” Kagome recovers her `guilty-innocence' once again, “that wouldn't be good on the pack.”

The alpha wolf demon sighs, “I know you’re right, but I’m worried about you, Kagome.”

“Don’t worry. I’m alright, really,” Kagome placates the demon, “Now just listen to me. Inuyasha doesn't have a pack to take care of like you do,” she explains, “He doesn’t have an understanding of the responsibilities you have…he doesn't even have a clue on most things, to be honest,” She replies; voice starting to get a little high with growing excitement.

“I could have told you that,” Koga mutters with arms crossed.

“That aside, I’ll be alright Koga. Inuyasha takes good care of me,” Kagome continues on; smiling at him as she gets out of the water, dries with a towel she has packed in her back pack, and dresses into her clothes. Instead of her school outfit, Kagome was wearing a more skin tight, black skirt and shorter, belly button revealing, white shirt held to her body in a way that made her cleavage bigger than they were. At first she put it on in the afternoon in hopes of Inuyasha seeing it and getting inspired, but he just turned red and said it looked weird. _~Should have known better than to get dressed up for a man that loves instant noodles~_

Koga grimaces as if in pain, “I don't know, Kagome. I REALLY don't like you with that dumb mutt. He's too stupid to realize that you belong with a man like me.”

 _~Yeah~_  Kagome thought _~maybe YOU are the one being stupid all along…Or perhaps it IS just Inuyasha! I wouldn't be here with you if he would just think fast enough to-~_

“I think I am going to go with you,” Koga says after look hard at her face, “you look sick, and that mutt wouldn't know how to take care of you even if you gave him instructions!”

“No Koga,” Kagome becomes firm for only a moment before relaxing, “I'll keep traveling with Inuyasha,” she insists.

“But he's stupid,” Koga whines.

“Then let him be stupid,” she responds, pleased with the look of lust in the alpha wolf's eyes as she puts on black platform shoes, “Once the jewel shards are all one jewel again, I’ll be free to be with you.”

“OK,” He relents, giving her a loving smile, “I trust you.”

Kagome’s stomach clenches painfully with guilt at now knowing she has his trust, but it was all in vain, “Yeah,” she forces a smile; mad at herself for getting into this mess, “I gotta go.”

“Later, Kagome!” The wolf demon calls after her; watching her disappear from his cave.

 _~Now~_  Kagome smiles with renewed determination, her guilt and shame instantly forgotten at the thought of Inuyasha  _~to deal with the love of my life…Inuyasha…He won’t get away this time. I won’t let him…~_

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko Forest, Unknown Meadow~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

**_“Nervous of me, Abby?”…_ **

**_“Should I be?” she countered. She poured him a cup of black coffee and automatically add cream before she handed him the cup, “After all, you're the one who should be worrying. I seem to make a habit of throwing myself at you.”…_ **

**_“And if you don't get off my ranch pretty quick, Abigail Shane, you may do it once too often,” he said flatly…_ **

**_“I have utter trust in your remarkable self-control, Mr. McLaren”_ **

 

Inuyasha skims through the rest of Diana Palmer's “ _Snow Kisses”_  with a frustrated growl and sits it to the side with a few other books to go searching hopelessly in Kagome's travel bag she left with him for answers that never truly satisfied him. _~Dammit! I wish she would have left her backpack too. What isn’t she telling me? Why is she so angry with me these days?...Is it because of…Kikyo?~_

He pauses his rummaging as an image of Kikyo ran through his mind. He knew where she lived. Knew that he was invited to visit anytime he was ready to talk about things.

 

Kikyo has said as much before giving him a sweet little kiss…

 

She even watched him walk away to be with Kagome.

 

That was three months ago…

 

And he still thought about her.

_~Am I supposed to control my feelings for Kikyo and just “say” I love Kagome without ever thinking about her?...Or should I leave Kagome and try to at least make things right with Kikyo?...But do I really love either of them?...Could I just be responding to them needing me?....Or is it me that needs them?~_  His thoughts plagued him with emotions as restless as the strong breeze rustling loudly in the moonless night trees. He frowns at the sky. _~That’s right…I’ll be turning human tonight. Best not to travel too far from the group…~_ Inuyasha thought hazily; the soothing music of crickets, hunting bats or even the mysterious night birds yet to be named by humans not able to comfort the half prince in his sorrow.

He continues to stare at the sky, taking in the euphoric feeling of being smaller than the universe as his emotions wreaking havoc on him. The dog demon slowly starts to wonder about other things in hopes of escaping the unanswered ache in his heart. He wonders what the future is like. What new animals were discovered that was yet to be found in his time...What it’s like for misfits like him in Kagome’s time…And if his mother was watching him wonder these things from her heavenly seat beyond his reach. Did she have answers to give him about all of this? Would she know if he was making the right move or not in trying to have love in his life at all?

“This is annoying,” he growls, upset with himself for letting something like this bother him, “it's not like I have to make a decision right now.”

“INUYASHA!”

Inuyasha winces at the pain from the ringing in his ears, “I spoke too soon,” he mutters, quickly hiding the books back into the traveling bag before stuffing it into the hole in the tree for later inspection, and freezes as something falls out of it onto the branch he was on.

He warily picks up the small, square shaped object reads it curiously:

 

Latex Ultra-Thin Condom

 

“What the-”

“INUYASHA!!!”

Inuyasha vows to change his name as he continues to put the bag away and grabs the little papery square thing before it falls and reveals his location to Kagome. Leaping to another tree just as she comes into sight, he glares down angrily at her.

“INU-”

“WHAT!”

Kagome cringes before glaring up at him, “You don't have to yell!”

Inuyasha sweatdrops, “This coming from you.”

“Inuyasha-”

“Wha-”

“Sit boy!”

BAM!!!

Inuyasha pulls his head from the dirt with a vigorous shake, his face turning red with rage, “What the hell you do that for?!”

“Why didn't you answer me, Inuyasha,” Kagome pouts, standing over him to the point that he could see up her skirt.

 

She had no panties on.

 

“Ka-Kagome,” He turns red out of embarrassment; moving quickly to get away from the sight, “I’m just hearing you call for me now, obviously.”

“I’ve been looking for you. I wanted to talk to you.”

“About what?”

“About us,” He hears Kagome sigh before she continued, “I know you say you love me, but you haven’t been showing me that you love me at all.”

Inuyasha looks at her in surprise. He thought he was showing her love. They cuddle. Have private conversations when they had time. They’ve even had chances to sneak a few kisses without the group noticing or getting too noisy about it, “I haven’t?”

“No, you haven’t.”

“How do you figure that?”

“Don’t you think I would know if you’re showing me love, Inuyasha?”

“That’s not what I’m saying.”

“Then what are you saying?”

“I’m saying that I have been showing you love.”

“No you haven’t.”

“Yes I have.”

“No you have not!”

“Yes I have!”

“That’s it! Inuyasha, sit!”

“THRAWK!!!”

This time Inuyasha jumps up in nearly full blind anger, “Why the fuck you keep doing that for Kagome?!”

“Cause you are not listening to me!” Kagome harps at him, “I’m trying to explain how you can show your love to me!”

Inuyasha stares at her, rage forgotten, “What?”

“I wanna tell you how to love me,” the teen girl tells him with a happy little smile.

“Ok then,” he wipes the dirt from his face before looking at her again, “Tell me.”

“We need to have sex.”

Inuyasha felt his whole body turn into a giant cherry. He was sure he was blushing all over after that comment, “Wha-what?!!”

“We need to have sex,” Kagome repeats for him; looking like she would giggle at his reaction, “You have had sex before, right Inuyasha?”

He glances away from her. Inuyasha didn’t want to lie to her, but he didn’t want to tell the truth outright. He and Kikyo never got a chance to do anything, since she wanted to wait to get married.

 

A happy ending that Naraku had ruined.

 

“You haven’t done it yet, have you?” She inquires.

He slowly shakes his head; still unable to look her directly in the eye. So he was surprised when he feels her plant a kiss on his cheek.

“That’s ok, Inuyasha. I’ll show you,” Kagome reassures him; her arms already wrapping around his neck.

Inuyasha tenses, “Wait a minute, you mean now?”

“Well, why not?”

“I...I don’t think I feel like it yet,” He admits. Inuyasha was in love with Kagome, but didn’t feel like everything was over with Kikyo yet. He needed to see her happy with someone else before he could start to really let her go.

 

He didn’t want to forget her.

 

Not at the risk of her being unhappy because of him doing so.

 

“Why don’t you feel like it?” Kagome asks; voice purring in his ear while one of her hands travels down his body to rub the front of his pants, “I can help you get it up, if you want me to.”

The action made the half breed tense further. The touch made his body feel weird and he wasn’t sure he liked the sensation, “No. not right now, Kagome. Maybe later? I gotta think about it.”

 “… … … Inuyasha.”

“Yeah?”

“Sit.”

BAM!

“Sit.”

BAM!

“Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! Sit! SIT! SIT!!”

BAM! THRAWK! BOOM! BAM! CRUSH! THRAWK!  **BAM!!!**

Inuyasha trembles as he tries to stand, then falls back down, “Why…K-Kagome?”

“Because that is what you are doing to me, Inuyasha,” Kagome sneers, “if you really love me then you would have already had sex with me, but since you didn't…Sit.”

BAM!

“Kago-”

“Sit boy.”

BAM!

“How does it feel, Inuyasha,” she asks angrily, “you've been denying me all this time too. I give you the chance to show me love and you tell me you don’t want to? And you say you love me?” Inuyasha hears her snort. He couldn’t see her. His body was hurting. _~Why the hell does it hurt so much~_ The half breed thought in a pain-filled fog before the answer hit him, _~Th-that’s right. Tonight is a new moon…I…I’m…turning~_ “Kagome…Please…St-stop…”

“Sit.”

BAM!

Kagome clicks her tongue in disapproval, “looks like, as your future wife, I'm gonna have to teach you how to show me love.”

“Kagome,” Inuyasha coughs, his usually white hair shifting black as the new moon fully takes effect, “please…s-stop.”

“Why should I? You've been such a rude and bad boy,” Kagome sighs, “and to think that I love you. But don't worry,” she smiles while bringing a bright red, dog shaped plant out of her braless shirt, “This will help you stay faithful, Inuyasha.”

“Wha…What is that?”

“It’s the Legendary Dog Fruit,” Kagome explains while Inuyasha tries to get to his feet. The world was spinning and he felt faint. There was blood oozing in a sluggish trickle from his mouth and his whole body vibrated with agony. He could hardly see out of his bruised eyes as he shakily leans against a tree to keep him steady.

“Dog…Fruit…?...Y-you mean…that…cursed fl-flower that…h-has the…a-ability to…m-make any…one…who eats it…obedient…t-to the giver…?” Inuyasha guesses weakly. He couldn’t recall where he had heard the myth of the flower, but, then again, he was having rough time recalling much of anything right now.

“Yep,” Kagome replies cheerily; her voice sounding horrible in his ears, “that’s the one. It’s actually a kind of magical poppy said to only grow in holy places for a short time, and has some the ability to be a sedative. But what makes the Dog Fruit different from just any poppy is that it affects the person dreams. In this way, it makes it so that you bond with the person who gave it to you while you sleep. So I guess it does make you kinda obedient because you become dependent on the person who gives it to you so you can have restful sleep. It won’t let you otherwise. Married people use to use it all the time, from what I was told,” she states before Inuyasha feels her push him down against the tree; his back stinging from the scratch of barky skin while she straddles his hips.

“I'll show you how to love me properly, Inuyasha,” Kagome pants hotly in his ear, the feeling uncomfortable for his sore body. “Now,” she presses the strange plant to his lips, “take this, my love.”

“…”

“Inuyasha?”

“N-no,” Inuyasha replies weakly, “Ple-pleas Kagome. I don’t want to t-take it,” he rasps out. All he wanted to do was sleep. Everything hurt and rest was all he had strength for.

“But this plant will bring us together forever,” Kagome hums in his ear, planting little kisses on his cheeks and forehead with barely contained lust, “The Dog Fruit, once taken, will let no one come between us,” she starts to undo the tie of his kimono, smiling menacingly at his look of confusion.

Inuyasha tries to understand what she meant by those words. _~Everything she’s doing hurts…Why…won’t she…stop?~_   He thought as Kagome continues to tug at his clothes. Instinctively nervous of her actions, the demon starts to struggle.

“No Inuyasha,” she reprimands, “sit”

BAM!

Inuyasha's head nearly goes through the tree, his vision going black for a moment before he regained some consciousness, “Ka-Kagome…stop.”

“No Inuyasha, I won't,” she says simply, “You said you love me and I’m going to make sure you stick to your words.”

Inuyasha struggles once again. He didn’t know what Kagome was up to, but she must have been crazy or possessed. She’s never tried to hurt him like this before. Why would she start now? What did he do to make her so vengeful against him?

 

Then he stills as she moves off of him and pulls out her bow and arrow from her back pack.

 

“K-Kagome,” Inuyasha fights to keep conscious and ignore the pain throbbing throughout his body, “what-what are you doing?”

“I'm sorry Inuyasha,” Kagome frowns at him, “but you're making me do this!”

 

She shoots him in his right shoulder.

 

Pinning him to the split tree.

 

“GAHHH!!!”

“Oh don't cry so loudly,” Kagome soothes, roughly pulling his shirt further apart to gaze longingly at his bare chest, “if only I didn't have to pin you down to touch you like this,” she sighs sadly, “it would make the sex better.”

“Kagome,” Inuyasha coughs, the trickle of blood pouring from the corner of his lips starting to stream, “P-please…stop.”

“I tried to tell you Inuyasha,” Kagome talks, pulling down his hakama all the way to his knees to reveal his limp penis to the cool night air, “I dressed in sexy clothes,” she speaks in anger; Inuyasha hearing the sound of clothes rustling, “I cooked you aphrodisiacs, pretended to be interested in your stupid stories of Kikyo,” he yelps as she straddles him and tugs fiercely at his cock, “ and I even allow you to use me to find some dumb jewel pieces that may not do you any good anyway. All because I love you,” She says scornfully, rubbing the head of his slowly awaking member.

“AHH,” Inuyasha shouts in shock at the sensation warring for his attention along with the pain.  His mind was trying to race as fast as his labored breath with just the simple challenge of staying awake, “Kagome…n-no-”

“Don't you tell me no,” Kagome slaps him hard, the handprint branding and burning his now sensitive human flesh, “don't you dare deny me of at least  **one**  pleasure from you!”

Inuyasha says nothing, gritting his teeth as he fought off the cold touching his half naked body, the pain from Kagome's rage and the confusion of hurt and pleasure as she jerks his cock until it hardens. The skin of his mighty staff turns a transparent pink from the contrasting temperatures of Kagome's hand and the night air.

“There,” she purrs, a contorting and monstrous sound to Inuyasha's deadening senses, “it should be hard enough.”

“Kagome,” Inuyasha tries again to reason with the human girl, “please…S-stop…I-...I love you.”

“Oh I know you do Inuyasha,” Kagome adjusts herself, “and I'm gonna make sure you honor that too.”

 

And with that, she plunges onto his hard dick with her wet, clinging pussy.

 

“AHHHHHHHHH!!!”

“Oh yes,” Kagome moans, harshly bouncing up and down on Inuyasha's cock and completely ignoring his screams of surprised pain and pleasure, “that's it.”

Inuyasha groans with eyes shut tight, his penis in pain from the sudden grab and pinch of her body while his hips jerk slightly to meet each fevered bounce. He starts to struggle again at a burning sensation near the head of his dick, but give up as Kagome slaps him once more and yells at him to accept her love for him. He waits in a sea of pain and confusion as Kagome rocks her hips even harder, the disgusting sound of flesh smacking flesh making him want to throw up and die.

 

Finally, at what felt like forever, Kagome cries out her orgasm.

 

The wet gush of her juices causing Inuyasha to finally throw up.

 

“Eww,” Kagome squeals, slapping him again, “that's disgusting Inuyasha!”

She gets up, not bothering to untie him or dress him back up, leaving his swollen, hard penis to die down on its own as she grabs the discarded red plant, “I'm going back to the campsite,” she says cheerily, forcing the plant into his mouth; smiling when he reflexively swallows it down at feeling it invade him, “don't be out too long, dear.”

Inuyasha barely hears her, his eyes staying open long enough to see a strange flying shadow zip away through the trees above him as he allows the darkness to take him into its comforting arms…

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 


	8. Chapter Seven: One Too Many Secrets And The Shadow Kid-Man

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheila is told some facts and the 'kid' reports in...

   

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Seven:

 

One too Many Secrets And The Shadow Kid-man

 

 

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s apartment, Front room~_ **

 

 

**_  ~Yusuke~ _ **

 

“So you think Sheila might be a demon?”

“There’s no way a mere human would take those hits and not have passed out sooner, Yusuke,” Kurama states with confidence that makes Yusuke want to curse him for his smart ass mouth.

“Great. Just great. And from the looks of it, she doesn’t even know that she might have demon in her either.”

“Might?”

“I’m still being optimistic,” Urameshi remarks, “If not for my sake, then for hers.”

“Optimism won’t change the fact that she’s a demon living among humans. You know that demons are not allowed to be up here with humans.”

“Yeah, yeah. I’m up here,” Yusuke points out. He had to defend Sheila. If he didn’t pitch a fit fast enough, Kurama might get it into his mind to tell Koenma.

            Being a high school kid was one part of his life, but the biggest part that took precedence over that is his work as a spirit detective. Keeping the spirit realm in check was a full time job, and, should Sheila prove to be a demon instead of a human, Yusuke knew he would have to turn her in. _~Which is complete bullshit. She hasn’t hurt anyone. She’s only ever used her strength to defend herself, but I would have to take her away from the only realm she’s ever been in to live among demons that could do some serious damage to her.~_

“You’re still allowed up here because you’re technically human in this lifetime,” Kurama explains; dully twisting a strand of his vibrant red hair between his fingers, “You would have suffered the same fate as her if you didn’t already have a human life here already.”

            Yusuke didn’t argue that fact. Keiko and the others were in Tristan’s bedroom; tending to the unconscious Sheila and the awake Vickie. It was just the two of them in the front room, so Urameshi knew it was safe to talk about their secretive jobs.

_~Not that it’ll stay a secret for long. Sheila will have to know what she’s dealing with. It’s the only thing I can do to save her from it~_

Helplessness wasn’t a feeling that the spirit detective liked. He wouldn’t give into it and would just find another way to aid his friend in avoiding a law that could get her killed.

Kurama’s phone ringing pulls Yusuke from his reverie. That phone only rung when two people called the handsome man.

 

Hiei or Koenma.

 

And, for once, Yusuke was hoping it was the pacifier hater of the two.

 

Kurama pulls his silver phone from his pocket and answers it, “This is Kurama.”

Yusuke waits; knowing that the youkai before him would update him once he was done on the phone.

“…Understood…Meet us at this address. I’m sure Yusuke would want to fully hear about this,” the red head states before giving the person the address. He hangs up and glances at Yusuke from his perch on the front room’s only couch, “We have a possible assault case in a different realm. Well, more like a different time.”

“Different time? You mean we’re doing time traveling now?” Yusuke replies in shock. He’s been at this job or about two years now, and hasn’t heard of any case where the victim was from another time.

“Hiei has been going to this particular time in search of a very valuable demon,” Kurama smiles and crosses his left leg over his right, “We don’t normally handle spirits from another time, but this demon has been reported to be linked to the demon we’re hoping to find.”

“A valuable demon,” the spirit detective muses, “Is it dead in our time?”

“Yes. Something went wrong somewhere in the past and this demon expired long before its time. But it’s not only the fact that it died we have are confronted with,” the exotic haired man frowns over at Yusuke with seriousness the teen knew meant trouble was afoot, “We also suspect that a certain evil demon lord we can’t be rid of in our time may have used this now dead demon to make his power impossible to go up against.”

“So basically, we have to find and save this demon from death if we want to stop an unstoppable demon that exists today?”

“That the jest of it. In any case, Hiei will be here to tell us about it soon.”

“Alright, but don’t think the matter is over with, Kurama.” Urameshi replies firmly, “I won’t be handing my friend over just for her to die in the spirit realm.”

“Then you better hope, for your sake, that she’s not really a demon.”

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

            Vickie watches Sheila sleep; the female youkai leaning back in a chair after Keiko, Joey and Tristan fussed over her and her injuries. _~Can’t tell these people that I heal faster than any mere human~_ She thought in annoyance. _~Still…I guess it was nice of them to worry about me just as much as they worry about Sheila.~_

She stares at her new sister. True to her word, even if the dark teen proves to not be the one for her brother, Vickie would always see her as a sister. In her mind, the girl earned that much.

 _~Not to mention that her mother spoke to her of the Will of her heart just like my own. That can’t be a coincidence. But…Sheila doesn’t smell like a demon at all…Is magic making her appear human? Or is magic giving her demon-like powers?~_ the youkai contemplates when she hears a gasp come from the resting teen. She looks over to see Sheila’s eyes open wide; the teen sitting up suddenly and wincing in pain.

“What’s wrong,” Vickie asks; instantly on alert at seeing the dark teen force herself out of bed despite the obvious pain.

“Some-someone is here,” Sheila gasps out, her bandaged hand reaching for her clothes in a wooden chair beside the bed. Vickie frowns at hearing this. Her own senses weren’t picking up on anyone except the people in the apartment already. _~Let’s see…Joey is in the kitchen with Tristan…Yusuke and Keiko are in the front room with Kurama and a blued eyed brunet that makes me rethink my decision to not date humans if I could help it. The slim, muscular male is hot! No wonder Joey is dating him. If I was a boy, I’d definitely become gay for him.~_

“There’s a human name Seto inside apartment with us, if that’s what you mean,” she supplies for Sheila; vaguely wondering just how the human girl could feel him hanging out in the apartment.

            The dark teen shakes her head, further perplexing the youkai, “No…This person is…not human. I-I’m sure of it,” the young teen finishes dressing just as a noise from another room makes both her and Vickie jump in surprise. The little apartment had two rooms. Tristan’s room and a guest room. _~We’re in Tristan’s room…But no one should be in the guest room right now…~_

“Should we check it out?” the human teen asks Vickie; her dark eyes wide with fright and worry. The youkai looks Sheila over. With bandages covering her healthy sized cleavage all the way down to her stomach, as well as white wrappings on both her hands and around her neck, the dark teen looked like a living mummy.

“I’ll go check. You stay here. You’re still recovering from your wounds.”

Sheila shakes her head, “No. I-I can’t stay here and there’s a possible intruder in the apartment,” she gives Vickie a determined look, “I’m coming with you.”

Vickie mentally sighs and nods _~Ever the stubborn one~_ she thought while following Sheila out of the room and quietly down the little hall into one of the guest room; realizing that no one else must have heard the sound since there wasn’t any sound of the others coming to check as well. Shaking off the strange fact, Vickie follows Sheila into the room.

 

And a childlike figure stood beside an open window.

 

            Not standing any taller than five feet, the figure wears a black cloak over black clothes; his white scarf and headband contrasting with the blue outline of his black, gravity resistant hair. The hair had an odd patch of white in the front over his bangs that did nothing to hide the large, slightly oval shaped, crimson eyes looking back at Vickie and Sheila. 

Vickie blinks, “A kid?”

The `kid' smiles, “Not quite,” a very adult sounding voice comes out of the small body.

Sheila glares at the `kid', “That thing is some kind of strange grown up from the sound of his voice.”

“A human dares call me a thing? Should you take such great risks with so fragile an existence?”

 _~A demon then~_  Vickie thought; growling at the trespasser. _~What the hell is he doing here?~_

Sheila stands up straight despite the pain that Vickie was sure she was in, “Get out.”

“No.” The kid-man remarks coolly.

Sheila raises an eyebrow, “No?”

The `kid' crosses his arms impassively, “No.”

Sheila sighs, beginning to stretch, “Then I have no choice but to make you leave.”

Vickie gawks at her newly made sister, “M-make him leave?! Oneesan, you can’t be serious!”

The `kid' laughs as if the very idea of Sheila being able to kick him out was the funniest thing in the world to him, “I'd like to see that happen.”

The dark teen nods, “Then so be it,” She replies before suddenly racing at the demon and knocking him out of the open window too fast for Vickie to stop her.

BAM!

The human girl gives the `kid' a spinning kick to the face with only a grunt and a smile, “It just happened,” she yells out the window before jumping out after the shocked demon.

“Sheila! Don’t!” the youkai shouts, rushing to peer out the window and sighs in relief at seeing the dark teen land on a bed on the ground in the apartment’s little backyard _. ~A thick futon. I bet Tristan has it there just in case he needs to escape out of the window~_ She thought before leaping out after her sister. If the situation wasn’t so serious, Vickie would have asked for a snack at the sight in front of her.

 

There she was, her human sister, punching what was most likely a demon in the stomach before delivering an upper-cut that was sure to piss him off.

 

_~If I don’t hurry up and get in the way, he’s going to knock the hell out her~_

**_ ~Hiei~ _ **

 

The shock of feeling pain at the contact surprised the powerful demon into a stupor. _~This human’s hit actually hurts. What the hell…?~_ He didn’t get long to think of it before more pain assaulted his senses; warning him to either fight back or die trying. Hiei growls; just barely avoiding another hit to the gut before countering with a sharp kick to the girl’s chest.

The dark teen yelps and grips her chest. That’s when Hiei noticed the bandages, “Why the hell would you be so stupid as to attack me when it’s clear you can’t fight?”

“I won’t let you in,” the girl lets go of her sore body; dark eyes glaring into the dragon demon’s with an intensity that could rival his own fiery attacks, “I won’t…LET YOU HURT MY FRIENDS!!!” She screams; racing at him. Hiei felt an insane level of pain originate from the region of his balls. _~she…She kneed me in the nuts~_ He thought with a groan; fighting the tempting urge to fall to the ground and assume a protective stance around his aching body part.

“Stop! Don’t attack her!” A girl in a red kimono commands; obviously trying to get to them before the fighting could really escalate. _~Too late for that~_ Hiei thought before promptly appearing in front of the dark girl and punching her across the face; her body sent flying and landing harshly onto the ground.

“NO!” The pale girl shrieks; now running in the direction the girl fell in, “Sheila? SHEILA!!!” she howls. Hiei lets his senses pick up on the scent and aura of the pale girl; frowning at figuring out what was before him, _~A human and a wolf demon? What the hell is a wolf demon girl doing here in the first place?~_

“You bastard!” the youkai snarls at him while crouching defensively over the fallen girl, “What if you killed her? What the hell were you thinking?”

Hiei narrows his eyes at the words, “She’s still alive?” He couldn’t believe it. Humans had some amazing abilities of survival here and there, but he knew the force he hit her with should have been enough to end her immediately.

“Of course she’s alive!” The wolf demon’s eyes widen before she growls at him; her body tensing in readiness to fight, “You! You were trying to kill her, weren’t you?!”

Hiei sighs, “I gave her a chance to stop. If she didn’t value her life enough to do so, it’s not my problem.”

“Y…you heartless bastard…,” The dark teen surprises him further by slowly sitting up; shaking as she takes to her legs. _~What?! She’s not even unconscious? What kind of human is she?! ~_

He barely had time for his eyes to widen as the girl revealed to be Sheila takes off her shoe and runs at him to slap him upside the head with it.

 

The hit sending him flying across the little yard.

 

“Oneesan!” He heard the pale girl gasp before a slew of encouragement erupted from her lips, “That’s right, sis! Kick his ass!”

 _~Well, shit, I don’t have to guess whose side she’s on~_ Hiei thought derisively before leaping to his feet and narrowly avoiding another hit by the shoe in the girl’s hand, “Idiot woman! Get out of my way! I’ll get serious if you keep up this ridiculous game,” he threatens.

“STAY THE FUCK OUT OF MY FRIEND'S HOUSE!!!,” The dark teen screams at him, Hiei seeing a flash of…something…coming to the human’s eyes before he found himself straddled and getting his face beat by a shoe. _~She moves too fast! I can’t see her coming!~_

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

The `kid' grabs Sheila's fists in a panic, coughing up a little blood to add to the oozing fluid coming out his broken nose, “Wait! Wait! I'm not here to fight!”

“Ya coulda fooled me,” the teen hisses, fighting to get her fists free, “let me go so I can beat the hell out of you!”

The `kid' sweatdrops, “Do you think I'm stupid or something?”  
“Wait, sister,” Vickie calls, standing inches away from the locked pair, “if you're not here to fight, than what do you want?”

“Can you get her off me?”

“Not a chance,” Sheila answers for Vickie, pulling away from the `kid' so that she could kick him in the nuts again and then tries beating his face in one more time.

“AHHHHHH,” the demon cries out while frantically trying to get the girl off before she did some damage that’ll end up defacing him, “get this crazy bitch off me!”

“I'll show you a crazy bitch!”

Sheila slaps the `kid' upside the head, once again going for her shoe.

“He’s here to report to me.” Kurama confesses. Vickie wasn’t sure when he got out to the yard, but did note his calm demeanor in face of the fight in front of him. _~Was he watching the whole thing? Why the hell didn’t he help us?!...Wait…What does he mean? Report to him?~_

“A demon named Inuyasha is in trouble,” Hiei says in a rush as Sheila pulls her hand back to strike him again…

 

And Vickie catches her arm just inches from landing another harsh blow.

 

“Wait a minute Sheila,” Vickie now glares at the `kid', “How do you know a demon name Inuyasha, Shorty?”

“My name isn’t shorty!”

“Get to the point,” Vickie growls, upset for her brother.

The `kid' looks away with a serious expression, “I can't say much…except that he's been badly…damaged.”

The dark teen winces at the grip on her still sore arm before frowning, “Damaged? How damaged?”

“I don’t report you.”

“And I will break your ass with my shoe if you don't tell us,” Sheila remarks curtly, once again reaching for her shoe.

“Stop it, Sheila,” Kurama commands lowly, “Hiei is my friend.”

“Hiei?” Vickie questions.

“Hiei is a friend of ours,” Yusuke shouts out the window before jumping out of it, “It’s ok to talk around them. What happened to this demon?”

“Alright,” Hiei sighs, pushing Sheila off and standing up while keeping his watchful eyes on the darker skinned girl, “He was beaten and assaulted. He might have been poisoned as well, but I’m not sure I’ve ever heard of the plant used before.”

“B-beaten?” Vickie pales, her heart plummeting to her feet, “Assaulted?  Assaulted how?”

“He was raped,” Hiei states simply, “His attacker used some kind of strange magic and sexually assaulted him before leaving.”

“No…” Vickie whispers; body shaking in hurt and fury, “Who…who would do that to Inuyasha?!”

“So, you know the demon?” Kurama asks her; brilliant green eyes intent on her.

“Of course I know him! He’s my brother.” Vickie glares over at him, “Why? Why do you know so much about my brother? What do you people want with him?” She growls; her hurt and sadness becoming anger, “Answer me, dammit!”

“V-Vickie…” Sheila mummers softly; the dark teen looking at everyone like she was in a dream. ~That’s right. I didn’t get a chance to tell her that I’m a demon yet.~ The youkai thought while watching the girl slowly get up and back away from everyone, “Sheila-”

“Stay away from me! All of you!”

She flinches; chest tight at the fear and betrayal shining brightly in Sheila’s eyes, “Oneesan, please-”

“No,” the teen girl shouts, “Demons? A strange man-kid reporting rape to Yusuke and Kurama? I thought you guys were my friends and you’re just now telling me this crazy shit!”

“Sheila,” Yusuke began earnestly before a shake of Kurama’s head makes him become quiet.

“We are spirit detectives. Inuyasha is being investigated in hopes of finding an elusive demon that may change the fabric of this world’s existence if we don’t find it,” he explains; causing Vickie’s chest to constrict. _~Spirit detectives? Investigating brother? What the hell kind of nut jobs are these future people!~_

“I should have known it was too good to be true,” Sheila quakes with what Vickie perceives to be rage and hurt, “You’re only my friend because you think I’m some demon? Some m-mythical creature you hunt after!”

            Yusuke flinches; his brown eyes full of hurt, “No. That’s not true. At least not for me, it isn’t.”

“Liar!” Sheila shouts; glaring at them all, “You freaks stay away from me! All of you! I never want to see you guys again or I’ll call the police and tell them you’re some kind of teen cult going around hunting people!”

Kurama tenses, “Now, Sheila, please. Try to be reasonable.”

“Fuck you!” The dark teen yells; fists tight enough to make her brown skin a lighter color as she starts to walk away from them, “I’m leaving. I’ll just tell my stepmother to homeschool me or something.”

“NO!” Vickie yowls out; running to hug Sheila from behind, “Please, Oneesan. Don’t leave me like this. I’m sorry I didn’t tell you the truth of what I was from the start, but I can’t help my brother alone. Please…,” tears blind her sight as she looks into the teen’s angry eyes, “Help me.”

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko Forest, Unknown Meadow~_ **

**__ **

**__ **

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

**__ **

            Having crawled slowly into some underbrush, the half breed shivers and sneezes; heedless of the cold in the haze of pain. His penis throbbed unhappily; the tip still sore from the forceful and sudden usage. His body was wet with his blood; enough to scare him into thinking he might not make it to sunrise. _~…Kagome…~_ Tears start to fall; trailing and mixing with the crimson liquid that stained his chin, “I’m sorry, Kagome…I’ll…I’ll do better,” he talks to himself. Inuyasha has awaken from his blackout about an hour later; feeling cold, hungry, and guilty. _~If I knew what she wanted long before this…m-maybe this wouldn’t have happened~_ He hugs himself and lays on his side; mind lost in the self-blame and doubts of ever understanding what it took to have a normal relationship. _~Mother…Kikyo…Kagome…I’m sorry~…_

**_??? _ **

He watches quietly; grinning in sinister satisfaction at the agonized whimpering of the half-breed not too far away from his hiding place, _~That’s right, Inuyasha. Fall into despair. For your pain is the first sign of my grand entrance… And the Secret’s lofty presence…~_

 

 

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment, Front room~_ **

**__ **

**__ **

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

****

Sheila looks at everyone in the front room with a level stare. People she trusted only seconds ago looked like strangers in her dark eyes.

“We are the spirit detectives,” Kurama explains, “Hiei, Yusuke, and myself are just a few that take on the job for our boss. It was not even a full month ago that we were giving a rather peculiar assignment.”

“Why are you telling me?” She asks; glaring at the red head, “What importance does your story have for me?”

“And what does my brother have to do with this.” Vickie demands more than asks, and Sheila wished she could move her anger enough to comfort the person whom gave her the honor of sister.

 

But it was a faulty honor.

 

Considering she didn’t even have the decency to tell her she was a demon.

 

_~I can’t believe I’m actually starting to believe this crap~ She thought in upset, ~Any fool knows demons aren’t real. But these idiots seem so sure of it. Yet…how does one explain the little man standing to the side of Kurama? Demon or not, something is clearly wrong with these people~_

“We were told to check the Feudal Era for a rare demon said to have the power to stop a rather powerful demon in the present,” Hiei commences explaining, “But that the demon of today had already killed the helpful demon long ago.”

“But there were patterns,” Yusuke picks up where Hiei left off, “Patterns left by the helpful demon of that time. Clues that lead to us believing the demon would show up here in Japan. Although I wasn’t informed of there being a check on the medieval Japan, I was nonetheless told to keep watch for the helpful demon’s appearance.”

“And I’m guessing you fools think this demon is me?”

“Strength to take on a high ranking demon,” Kurama remarks; idly starting to count the oddities with his fingers, “Senses that allowed you to feel him coming long before he showed up, and the unconscious ability to use the dragon style of fighting,” the red head looks at Sheila seriously, “There is a very strong chance that you might be a demon.”

“Will you listen to yourself? What proof do you have that there are demons?”

“What proof do you have that there are not demons?”

            She tenses; body tired and sore from all the fighting. Unable to walk away from Vickie’s wail of help for her ailing brother, Sheila found herself sitting in Tristan’s front room listening to this nonsense. _~I should be at home accepting my lose. Yusuke isn’t my friend, and the only one that’s most likely being honest to me right now is Joey~_ She thought; glancing over at the teen sitting beside his boyfriend, _~But I bet he has something I don’t wanna hear too~_

“So this demon left clues that lead you to investigate my brother?” Vickie asks; the look on her face telling all what she thought of any of it. She had a hurt brother out there somewhere in the Feudal Era, and she wouldn’t rest until she brought his tormentor to justice as well as aid him in his recovery. At least that’s what Sheila saw burning in those eyes.

“Yes,” Kurama states before breaking out in rhyme:

 

In a time clear as snow,

There were two lovers long ago,

Whom could not reach each other.

 

One side was marked by the diva,

The other held by Inuyasha,

But they would not have another.

 

 

Sheila gasps; eyes widening at the sound of the poem, “That’s…”

Vickie stares over at her, “What’s wrong?”

“That’s sounds like the first part of my favorite story that mother would tell me,” She whispers lowly.

“Are you sure?” Kurama asks. She opens her mouth to answer, but then shuts it quick. Sheila knew she couldn’t trust them now; no matter how much that hurt, “What will happen if I am sure?”

Yusuke frowns, “If you are sure, then…We’d have to take you to the Spirit Realm.”

“Then the answer is no.”

Hiei snickers, “Well, at least she’s not completely stupid, Kurama.”

Vickie growls; suddenly standing up and going in front of Sheila, “You are not taking my sister.”

“Vickie…” Sheila stares at her, “Why are you protecting me?”

The youkai rolls her eyes and glances behind her at Sheila, “Isn’t it obvious?”

“But…”  
“Look, I’m sorry I lied to you, but I was afraid that you wouldn’t believe me. Or that I’d get close to you, only to discover I’ve made a mistake,” the girl confesses; demon eyes giving Sheila the feeling of solemn hope radiating from them, “I meant what I said though. As far as I’m concerned, you are my Oneesan.”

“And I’m still your friend, Sheila,” Joey proclaims, “No matter what those guys say, I’m right behind you too.”

“If Joey is right behind you, then I won’t allow anymore this interview,” Seto speaks up for the first time; even Kurama an even glare, “Just like his domain has laws, so do ours. And, unless he has valid proof of you being a demon, he can’t just take you to a demon’s realm.”

“You don’t think anything I said could be proof?” The male youkai questions.

“Strange, all I hear are speculations and pretty poems,” Kaiba replies with a small, jeering smile, “Evidence must be more concrete than that for you to take her anywhere.”

“Joey…Mr. Kaiba…” Sheila whispers; ready to cry at their devotion to her.

Kaiba blushes slightly, “Just call me Kaiba or Seto. Mr. is going a bit far.”

“I’m proof enough that she can’t possibly be human,” Hiei states; looking dully at them all, “Or have you forgotten that she’s the one who put these scars on an s-rank demon.”

Vickie blinks at him, “Um…I’m going to guess that means something.”

“It means that he’s too strong to have his nose broken and blood coming from his mouth by anyone who’s just a mere human.”

“Guys, we’re not here to terrorize her,” Yusuke replies; upset showing in his brown orbs, “Remember, if we believe her to be the demon, then she’s the helper demon. We shouldn’t treat her this way, and Koenma said nothing of forcing her to the Spirit Realm. Besides, she’s just heard that her new brother has been raped!”

            Keiko nods and slowly walks over to Sheila, “I know you’re upset with us. There are so many secrets we weren’t allowed to tell you. But now you know those secrets, and you maybe humanity’s only hope,” she smiles reassuringly, “Kurama and Hiei aren’t trying to pick on you. It’s just that the situation is so dire, they are willing to do anything now to make you go along with them.”

“Dire?”

“You might not see it yet, ‘human,’ but the Spirit Realm is in danger of a new world order,” Hiei explains, “A force yet to be named or even seen seems to have surfaced overnight to take over Makai. If nothing is done, he will remove the barrier designed to keep the two worlds apart.”

“Sheila,” Yusuke carefully walks around Vickie; the girl growling in response as he kneels on one knee in front of her, “What he says is true. If we don’t figure out the clues that were left behind by the good demon…Everything we know may change for the worse.”

“Yusuke…How…How do I know I can trust you?” Sheila replies quietly; staring into his eyes with fear of betrayal. Even for that little second. That little minute. The very breath she breathed at realizing that she must leave them alone for her sake was lonely, “You’ve already hidden so much from me. I can understand why…but…that doesn’t stop me from feeling hurt.”

“I’m sorry,” Yusuke takes one of her bandaged hand, “No more secrets, Sheila. I promise.”

“R-really?”

“Have you known me to break my word?”

            Sheila thought about it. While it was true that the teen tricked her in some ways, she couldn’t see him lying to her after all of this, “If this turns out to be another con in order to make me do what you want instead of just asking me, I won’t forgive you.”

Yusuke smiles; his relief warming her heart, “So if I ask you on a date, does that count?”

She blushes while Keiko promptly punches him.

“Not cool, Yusuke,” his girlfriend grumbles.

Yusuke rubs his head, “It was a joke!”

Sheila smiles before seeing the look of distress and panic on her ‘sister’s’ face, “What’s wrong, Vickie?”

“I have to go to my brother,” She says; fear for him obvious for Sheila to see, “his attacker could still be attacking him as we speak!”

“That maybe so,” Kurama acknowledges her fears, “but your brother wouldn't want you putting yourself in danger in order to save him either.”

“But-”

“Get a hold of yourself, Vick,” Sheila tries using a nickname to soothe her, “it's been hours since Hiei came with that report. Your brother may actually be OK right now. The last thing that anyone needs is for both of you to be in danger.”

The youkai looks torn. Sheila could see that the nickname has an effect, but the worry for her brother was overwhelming, _~Our brother~_ She reminds herself, _~Even if this could be another trap, I…I don’t want to back out on this.~_

“Our brother will be ok.”

“Sheila…,” Vickie smiles a little, “Thank you,” she then frowns, ‘But…”

“But what?”

“I can’t help feeling like It's my fault.”

Sheila blinks at her, “What?”

“It's all my fault,” Vickie sniffles, ready to burst into tears, “I-I should have been with him!”

“Vickie…”

“If I was with him then none of this would have happened!”

“Don't start that Vickie.”

“But…”

Sheila shakes her head with a gentle smile, “You didn't know it was going to happen and it  **still**  could have happened rather you were around or not,” she gets up; Yusuke moving out of the way so that she could hug her friend close, “it's not your fault. You could never be blamed for something like this.”

The wolf/dog youkai cries. With her clinging to her, Sheila felt that it took a lot of trust for the girl to hang onto her. Needing comfort from her.

 

Opening her heart to her.

 

“This is so strange,” Sheila remarks; rubbing Vickie’s back, “I feel so close to you, and yet I don’t know anything about you. Aren’t I crazy, little sister?”

She could feel the demon girl hold her tighter, and knew her new rush of tears wasn’t just for the ailing brother alone.

Sheila lets Vickie cry for a while, thinking of ways to cheer her up.

“Vickie.”

“Hm?”

“Can you tell me a little about yourself?”

Vickie moves her head from Sheila's shoulder to look intently at her, “What do you mean?”

“Well, you know,” Sheila smiles; not paying the others any mind, “happy memories with your brother, some history about your family and friends. Something,” she says with a soft laugh, “Tell me something about…our family.”

“Sheila…,” Vickie grins happily, “I'll tell you everything about me and where I come from,” she stands up straight and wipes the tears away from her eyes, “I’m will tell you about my home in Feudal Era Japan, and the brothers who await me there.”

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 


	9. Chapter Eight:Facts Before Fictions: Vickie Talks of her Demon Family And She Says A Disturbing Name

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vickie tells Sheila about her family, and mentions a name...

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Eight:

 

Facts Before Fictions: Vickie Talks of her Demon Family And She Says A Disturbing Name

**_~Present Day Japan, Tokyo, Tristan’s Apartment, Guest Room~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Vickie~  _ **

 

 She waits as Sheila talks privately with Kurama. She didn’t like the guy much, and so went to the guest room for the time being. _~The asshole keeps smiling at me. Weirdo.~_ Vickie thought. She was beginning to suspect that the strange demon had his own agenda in all of this, but couldn’t figure out what. _~I guess everyone has a motive to be looking at me and sis strangely,~_ she rationalizes, _~From what I’m understanding of all their talk, the present world is in danger of becoming one with its Spirit Realm because of a hidden, supreme demon. If that happens, then it’ll be just like my time. Demons will be able to kill and terrorize humans once again, and most of the humans would be powerless to stop it. If they don’t do something quick, the present day that they know and love will be gone forever.~_

Vickie didn’t fully understand the problem. She was use to her wild, demon infested timeframe, and, being a demon herself, wasn’t all too crazy about a plan that would lock them up in some foreign dimension she’s never heard of. But she’s also seen just how destructive demons were on the lives of humans. Women, children, and the old were favorite prey for them to pick with. _~If they didn’t create a system by this time, demons might have been able to eventually wipe out the human race…Which means Sheila might not have been born or even got a chance to exist~_

“Meaning there would have been no one for Inuyasha except maybe Kagome…And there’s always the chance that she could have died too,” the youkai mutters to herself; knowing all too well how many humans were fortunate to make it out alive once a demon decided they were prey, “And, by now, there isn’t enough purifying powers among the humans in this time to keep them all from being overwhelmed.”

“Purifying powers?” Sheila’s voice wafts in as the dark teen opens the wooden thing they called a door. _~It’s like a mini version of the gates one would see for mansions or palaces instead of a plain door mat~_ Vickie thought before smiling at her inquisitive friend.

“Yes. Some humans, known as priests, priestesses, or even monks, have the spiritual power to fight off demons. They usually do it for a fee or tithe, and some even travel around for the purpose of exorcising demons.”

“That must be a dangerous timeframe for you then,” Sheila states quietly; worry etched across her face.

“It’s true. While the human’s I mentioned won’t hesitate to kill a demon, most demons will fight each other, and tend to have a ‘every-demon-for-themselves’ kind of attitude,” Vickie acknowledges, “Life it tough, and death is a daily reality. If it wasn’t for my brother, I don’t know where I would be right now…”

“I’m really sorry about your brother,” Sheila comes into the room; shutting the door behind her before talking again, “I hope he’s alright. Kurama was just talking to me about trying to confront him about it in the morning.”

Vickie sneers at the very sound of the other youkai’s name, “Confront him? Why confront him?”

“From the way he explained it to me, some victims don’t want to acknowledge that they’re victims,” the human girl frowns at Vickie, “They might even blame themselves for the attack because they feel like they instigated it somehow. Male victims are the most likely to do this..,” Sheila shivers after saying those words. _~She must be imagining what kind of pain he must be in after being…raped~_ What a strange thought that was for Vickie. Inuyasha wasn’t exactly a weakling, so trying to picture someone actually raping him was hard for her.

“Why don’t you tell me your story now? I can’t bear to think of your brother out there after all of that. I’m sure he’s ok, but…”

“…But until I go check on him, it’s hard to stay optimistic, right?” Vickie guessed; knowing the answering silence from her friend meant she was just as worried. It gave the female youkai great hope. _~This isn’t just sympathy. I can feel it. She’s feeling it as if he is her brother too. Sheila is resisting it, but I know she wants to race out of here and help him just as badly as I do…Even though she doesn’t know him at all.~_ Vickie smiles at her new sister, “Alright. I’ll tell you all about me and what I know of my brothers”

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

**__ **

            She’d been seconds from arguing with Kurama. Sheila couldn’t stand it! Even if it wasn’t Vickie’s brother, no one deserved to be out there alone after all of that. ~Yes, I told Vickie to calm down, but that doesn’t mean I don’t want any action done~

“We need to wait for instructions, Sheila,” Kurama had explained to her, “If we change too many things that happens to Inuyasha, we may risk changing a part of history that is necessary for us to save this time.”

“So we’re sitting here and doing nothing?!” She nearly shouted at him; wanting to smack him for his rational words.

“As you told Vickie, it wouldn’t be wise to go racing into unknown danger,” the red head had frowned and his eyes actually looked to be sad for a moment, “Please don’t misunderstand me. I don’t like what has happened, and, if Vickie desires it, I shall gladly give my life to battle the asshole that did this.”

“Kurama…,” She had whispered his name in surprise. Sheila didn’t know much about the man claiming to be a spirit detective, and hadn’t seen him show much emotion. His sadness looked so genuine to her, she couldn’t argue with it no matter how she tried to in her mind.

            So she gave up trying to force him into action and decided to check on Vickie.

Coming in on the youkai talking about purifying powers under her breath had made Sheila curious. _~Priestesses…Like Kagome…~_ She had thought privately; now wishing for her sister more than ever.

“Ok,” Vickie says before taking a breath; her voice pulling Sheila from her thoughts,

“I'm the youngest out of three youkai. Well, daiyoukai, to be honest.”

“Youkai and daiyoukai?”

“a youkai is a demon and a daiyoukai is a great demon,” Vickie explains, “They both are words used for demons, except great demons are more like lords of my time. They can control other demons and tend to be more powerful than regular demons. In any case, there are three of us left to spread our father’s great legacy.”

“Your father?” Sheila asks, “Does that mean that your father is dead?”

Vickie nods, “Yes. My father fought to the death for the safety of my little brother and his mother. I…my little brother and I have never met him. Or at least I haven’t met him enough to recall much about him.”

“Oh, ok,” Sheila tilts her head some, “Was your father a good man?”

“I’m not sure good would be the word one would use to describe my father. He was a great and intelligent man, but he was still a demon,” Vickie shrugs, “While I think he was great and very powerful, humans might not have the same ideas of him.”

“No, I guess not. Are there no good demons in your time?”

“Let’s just say that they are rare.”

“I see…,” Sheila thinks about what she’s heard so far before prompting Vickie to continue, “So there are three of you?”

“Yes. We all have different mothers. The oldest is Sesshomaru. I don’t know too much about him because we weren’t that close growing up, but I do know that he’s a full blood, pure dog daiyoukai. He can be a bit moody acting, but, despite all his words about not caring what happens to us, Sesshomaru has always been there when we need him the most. His mother’s name is Kiyomi. She’s basically like him, but more playful and understanding.”

“How old is Sesshomaru?”

 “Hmmm…A bit over two hundred and…sixty I think.”

Sheila’s eyes go wide, “H-he’s two hundred and what?!”

Vickie laughs, “He’s still very young actually. Not even considered to be in his twenties in human terms when it comes to age. Maybe somewhere between seventeen and nineteen I think.”

            Sheila tries to wrap her mind around that ~Two hundred years old…Very few humans make it to a hundred…but he’s two hundred years old and is still considered so young!~

Not knowing of her friend’s thoughts, Vickie continues on with her story, “At first he was angry at my little brother for inheriting the amazing sword of our father, Tetsusaiga.”

“Tet…susaiga?”

“It's one of the swords made from one of our father's fangs, and has the power to kill a hundred demons in one blow!” The youkai explains, “It’s very powerful, and Sesshomaru wanted to have it. He felt father should have left it to him instead of Inuyasha.”

“So the sword was an inheritance?”

“Sort of. It’s a fickle sword. It’s made in a way where Sesshomaru can’t use it with his own hands, so he pretty much has to use magic of some kind to hold it.”

“Magic? Like magic gloves or something?”

Vickie laughs, “Yeah, if he can find anymore. They are very hard to make, and his last pair got ruined by Inuyasha when they first fought over the sword. If it wasn’t for the gloves, my brother would only have one arm to his name.”

Sheila flinches; trying to imagine the kind of battle two demons with weapons could have, “Sounds brutal.”

“It was, trust me,” Vickie shivers, “Inuyasha’s…friend...and I could do nothing but watch as they almost killed each other. It took a long time for our eldest brother to stop trying to hurt the youngest of us.”

Sheila frowns a little. She heard the hesitation in the youkai’s voice at saying the word ‘friend’ and couldn’t understand why. ~Maybe it’s someone she doesn’t see as much of a friend~ She determines before replying a serious fact to her new sister, “I've never really seen a sword before.”

“Really?”

“Really. Even though there are a lot of artifacts at my house, I don’t get to see the weapons that are put up and cared for.”

“Then you’ll have to be taught on how to use them,” Vickie smiles, “That’s fine. Inuyasha and I can teach you how to use them if you want. My youngest brother sucked at first, but is pretty good with using his sword now.”

“O-ok,” Sheila answers warily; not sure she was ready to hold a sword and learn to use it for the sole purpose of hurting someone with it.

“Don’t worry about it for now,” Vickie states; as if sensing Sheila’s discomfort, “Anyways, Sesshomaru was jealous and angry because he inherited the Tenseiga, another sword made by one of our father's fangs, but it has the power to heal over a hundred people in one blow instead”

“But that’s amazing too!” Sheila exclaims; wishing she had such a sword when her mother was dying. _~I might have been able to save her, if I had something like that…Then she would still be here with me…And we would be living together now…~_ “Um…is there any way of finding the swords in the present time?”

Vickie blinks before smiling, “You know…That’s a good question. I haven’t spent enough time in your timeframe to really know, but it’s possible.”

“Maybe once we learn where your brothers were located at when with the swords we can find them in here in the present,” Sheila thought out loud before smiling back at Vickie, “But I still don’t get why Sesshomaru would be upset with his inheritance. It sounds like an amazing sword to me.”

“It is an amazing sword. But my big bro is one of the first of our generation of dog demon warlords. So a healing sword isn’t very useful for him.”

“Oh. Well, that explains the anger and jealousy,” Sheila mummers softly, “So, he got over his jealousy, right?”

“Hmmm….in some ways, yes. My brothers are very proud people. He might not admit it, but it hurt him to know that father gave what he perceives as the better sword to Inuyasha. He’s been doing a lot of soul searching to understand it, and, in turn, has been able to work through his emotions about it. I don’t know if he’s fully over the jealousy, but he’s better than he was about it.”

 “So in the end, they still care for each other?”

“Yeah…,” Vickie looks down, “When our father died, we were all devastated. Even I was angry with my youngest brother for a little while about his death.”

“Was…was your youngest brother responsible for your father’s death?” Sheila questions slowly; afraid of the answer. To hear that siblings were willing to fight to the death wasn’t new. Arguing with Kagome on a daily basis has made her think she wouldn’t miss the girl if she never came home. But…to purposely harm one’s own parent…It was a heinous crime to her.

“I'm not at that part yet,” Vickie remarks, perking up, “Sesshomaru is really an aristocratic assassin and he takes his title very seriously. Since he and my youngest brother have the same enemy, they've finally put some of their differences aside and joined forces. Now they travel together but still fight about those crazy swords of theirs every once in a while,” the youkai laughs a little; the sound causing Sheila to laugh as well.

“That sounds like something stupid that a bunch of demon boys would fight over, I guess.”

“Yes! They always make me laugh when they're fighting about that silly sword! It really funny to me because Sesshomaru now has two great swords called Tokijin and Bakusaiga!”

“Tokijin and Bakusaiga,” Sheila repeats the words before a question that makes her start blushing ripples to the surface of her mind, “Um…What about dating? Does your older brother…date?”

“No and yet he's so handsome! He's amazingly pale and tall. And he has these beautiful markings on his face that neither me nor my other brother have. His hair is long and silver white and he has a big fluffy tail that he actually has to hold up off the ground! He wears armor that includes a spiked pauldron that covers his left shoulder and is attached to the upper part of his cuirass and-”

“Wait a minute,” Sheila stops Vickie, “What exactly is a pauldron and a cuirass?”

“A pauldron is part of plat armor that evolved from spaulders-another form of armor plates-in the 15th century and a cuirass is just the term used to mean the whole body armor.”

“Oh,” Sheila feels a bit stupid for not remembering that from history class, “I see. My mother use to talk about that when she use to tell me some of her most famous stories she made up.”

“Stories?”

She nods, “Yes. Mom use to own a capsule hotel and would tell stories to the customers that stayed with us.”

“Oh, you mean an inn?”

“Yes, it was a kind of inn.”

 “Hmmm, You’ll have to show me one someday.”

“Sure. I still have some pictures My mother and I took of the hotel a long time ago.”

“Great! But anyways, his armor and sash are mostly of `Mainland' influence.”

Sheila wrinkles her nose in confusion, “Why in the world would he have a Chinese sash and armor?”

“Beats me. That’s just the way of my brother. He also wears a white kimono with a red honeycomb and flower crest at the collar, sleeves and shoulder,” Vickie looks proud, “That's our family's crest. He wears Sashinuki Hakama gathered up at the ankles and some weird flat, ankle high boots of the `Mainland' that me and my other brother don't really concern ourselves with.”

“Sounds like a lot of clothes.”

“It is! He's the strongest out of all three of us, but mostly keeps to himself and Rin.”

“Rin?”

“A young girl that he has raised since she was a little kid,” Vickie giggles, “I think she's just about old enough now to start really dating Sesshomaru.”

“Tall, pale and handsome. A warrior who defends her honor…,” Sheila sighs; already picturing the enchanting demon in her head, “I wouldn't mind meeting him. Rin is lucky.”

“I suppose she is. Now, enough of him,” Vickie chirps, “of course there's me!”

Sheila laughs, “Of course. Tell me about you now, Vickie.”

Vickie sits up spritely; obviously happy to tell about herself, “I'm a full blood demon, but I am half Akita Inu Daiyokai and half okuri-ookami.”

Sheila nods in understanding, “You're half dog youkai and half wolf youkai.”

“Right,” Vickie beams, “my mother is a lot like Sesshomaru's mom. She is playful and elegant and is the leader of a pack of well-known demon wolves called the Wolf Winds Pack.”

“Hmmm, I've never heard of them.”

Vickie sweatdrops, “Thanks a lot Sheila.”

“Oh I'm sorry! Please,” She tries to be polite despite not knowing a thing about this so-called remarkable pack, “tell me more about your history.”

“Well I don't know how Sesshomaru's mom met our dad, but my mother tricked him into marriage!”

“What?!”

Vickie laughs, “It's the funniest trick I've yet heard. He was trying to take over her territory when she told him that she could tell him where the Great Jewel of Wolf Valley was, but if he could find it himself then the whole territory would be his without a fight!”

“Demons have use of jewels?”

“Certain jewels in our time have immense powers,” the youkai explains, “demons will do almost anything to get the magical ones.”

“Oh, ok.”

“So my father went several weeks looking everywhere for the Great Jewel, wanting so badly to just take my mother's lands and also its many treasures! My mother's strong and fighting her can be hell for any man!”

“I see,” Sheila smiles, “he wanted to avoid any serious damage.”

“Yeah,” Vickie grins as she continues the story, “Finally, after months of searching, the great dog demon gave in and asked my mom where the Great Jewel of Wolf Valley was,” Vickie barely holds in a giggle, “Do you know what she said?”

“What?”

“She said “My name is Kagura Hoseki Himino. I am the Great Jewel of Wolf Valley and you have to marry me for not knowing my famous name to be mine,” The youkai snickers, “Poor dad fell for it.”

“Oh my god,” Sheila shakes her head, chuckling, “That is a terrible trick to play.”

“Maybe so, but that is the way of demons sometimes. He eventually learned to love her though, so it’s not too bad.”

“That’s good. At least it ended happily for them. But what about you? And you've got to tell me more about your dad and your little brother.”

“Alright. I'm the only daughter that my dad had before he died. My full name is Victoriana Miko Inu no Taishou Himino. Since I haven't known my father since I was a baby, my little brother and I are very close,” Vickie sighs, looking dazed with memories, “Once we heard about each other, Inuyasha and I joined forces after his mother died. We raised each other, and kept each other safe.”

“What happened to your own mother?”

“She’s still around, but, being a wolf youkai, she wanted me to learn to survive on my own as well as with her training. So I spent a load of my time with my brother whenever I could.”

“You both sound like you are very close.”

Sheila sees a tender smile cross Vickie’s lips, “Yes, we are….But…”

She frowns at hearing the contradicting word, “What's wrong Vickie?”

“…I don't know anything about my father, so I guess you can say that my brother is the one that acted like a father to me. Even though he’s younger than me,” she stares down at her fingers, “he found me and my mother when I was only six years-old, and vowed to always take care of me. If it wasn't for him, I don’t know if I would be the strong person I am today.”

“So your life is really your brother's life,” Sheila wonders out loud, “I was raised as an only child by my mother, so I never knew any kind of love from a brother or sister.”

“It's the best kind of love to ever come second to that of a parent’s love,” Vickie tells her with strong conviction, “I've been with my brother ever since, so my history is really his history.”

“Hmmm…But didn’t you also say that he’s the reason for your father’s death?”

Vickie narrows her eyes, “You don't forget about nothing do you?”

Sheila blushes, “Is that a bad thing?”

“No,” Vickie sighs with a smile, “I guess not. You see, my younger brother's story is the most romantic and most tragic out of all three of us. Even his name is an irony of what he truly is.”

“His name?” The dark teen asks; not knowing how a name could be a contradiction of who you are.

“My brother is none other than the great hanyo of Feudal Era Japan: Inuyasha Inu no Taishou,” Vickie says with the utmost pride, “Only around two hundred years old, Inuyasha was once a notorious half-demon trying to steal the Shikon no Tama in order to become a full demon. Just barely surviving his own birth, our father's last words were to name him Inuyasha as he fought to the death in the burning home of Lady Izayoi, Inuyasha's noble human mother.”

Sheila almost holds her breath ~I see now. His father sacrificed his life to keep him alive~ She thought; not quite able to hide her enchantment as she encourages Vickie to continue with a question, “What happened to Lady Izayoi and Inuyasha?”

“Lady Izayoi and Inuyasha were able to escape to a village where they could be safe. But Inuyasha's tragedies are just at their beginning.”

“What do you mean?” Sheila asks; hoping she didn’t sound too impatient this time. It was hard for her to contain herself when she felt a good story was about to be told. So far, Vickie’s family was proving to be full of the very things her own mother told her so long ago, and it made the teen feel like she was somehow being pulled back in time to when her mother was alive.

 

Telling her stories of tragic demons and love that fights hard for a happy ending.

 

“Well, with Inuyasha being a half demon, the humans in the village would have nothing to do with him.”

“Nothing?!”

“Nope. The kids wouldn't even play with him.”

Sheila frowns, “Poor Inuyasha.”

“Yeah. Lady Izayoi would cry every night for her child. You see, she really did love Inuyasha's father and they had met when he saved her from danger.”

“Wow,” Sheila whispers the word softly; as if a young child again, “Do you know if he loved her back? I know he risked his life for Inuyasha, but did he do it for her too?”

The youkai nods, “He gave his life to save her and Inuyasha. He even brought Lady Izayoi back to life with the sword Tenseiga, so he must have loved her.”

“True. Who would bring back someone they didn’t love or care about?”

“Right. Unfortunately, Lady Izayoi was just human, and it didn’t take her long to die. This left Inuyasha as an orphan, since demons age so much slower than humans.”

“What about demons? Wouldn’t they help him?”

“Demons wouldn't help him or have anything to do with him because he was only a half demon. Humans hated and feared him. Inuyasha soon learned to depend on only himself and started to trust no one. Well, no one except me, that is.”

“I’m glad he at least had you.”

“Yes, and I’m glad to have had him. In time, Inuyasha grew up and fell in love with a powerful human priestess name Kikyo,” Vickie explains, “I was wary of her at first, but they turned out to be a good couple. She had succeeded in making him believe that there was something better in life than hunting down the Shikon Jewel and trying to become a full demon. Lady Kikyo was the guardian of the jewel and, with time, both she and Inuyasha had come to love each other greatly. But then Kikyo was still a woman who only desired to be an average woman. With such a soft heart hidden under the fierce priestess she had to be, trouble didn’t take long to appear.”

“What do you mean?”

“She found a badly burned man. His name was Onigumo. He was a wicked human that gave up his body in order to fuse with demons so that he would heal from his awful injuries. After that happened, he became a half demon that calls itself Naraku. The poor guy had some serious problems though.”

“Problems?”

“It just…seemed like he didn’t understand love without betrayal. It’s like all he knew was the darkness that lies in a person’s heart.”

“You sound a bit too understanding of this wicked human.”

Vickie looks at Sheila seriously, “Is anyone truly just wicked? Can anyone really be defined by just one word?”

“No….You’re right. No one can be fully defined by just one word,” She admits; thinking of her own newly made friends. Sheila couldn’t take advantage of the fact that there were words to describe people.

 

Words only told so much.

 

“I’m glad you understand. Either way, he likes corrupting the Shikon no Tama in order to control people with the dark emotions within,” Vickie continues to explain.

“Can I ask a question?”

“Yes?”

“What is the Shikon no Tama? I think they have a museum that has it now.”

“It’s basically a jewel of wishes. It can grant any wish and gives power to any who possess it.”

“Oh, ok. I see now why everyone would want it.”

“Right. And, in my time, it has been shattered into dozens of pieces. We’re still collecting the pieces and putting it back together.”

“What do you all plan to do with the pieces?”

“Inuyasha acts like he still wants to use it to become a full demon, but I’m not fooled. He most likely wants to find a way to hide it or throw it away forever. That jewel has done a lot of damage to his life as it is.”

“It has?”

“In order to get the jewel corrupted, Naraku played a nasty trick on Kikyo and Inuyasha,” the youkai frowns, “He disguised himself as both of them; resulting in Kikyo’s death and Inuyasha being put under a spell-sleep for over fifty years.”

“Spell-sleep and murder,” she shakes her head, “It’s hard to believe it all.”

 “It's true,” Vickie says firmly, “Naraku tricked them into hating each other so he could tarnish the jewel and use it for himself. Only…”

“What?”

“…I get the feeling that the Shikon no Tama is just one of the many parts that must be found to fully be rid of it.”

“One of many parts…?...Wait,” a thought interrupted Sheila’s musing, “Vickie…What happened to you while he slept for fifty years? You two were always together as you said, so…were you ok?”

“I still had mother and Kaede.”

“Kaede?”

“Kikyo’s little sister. She was just a kid, but was really a help with my grief.”

“Vickie…”

“…I would visit my brother every day when he was sealed to that tree,” the youkai says, silent tears welling in her eyes, “I remember calling to him all day and all night and kept wondering why he wouldn't answer me. After twenty years went by I gave up on calling him as I started to believe that my brother was dead.”

“Oh Vickie,” Sheila hugs her, “I'm sorry.” She says truthfully. Death was a story Sheila would always hate to hear.

“It's OK. It's not like it was your fault,” Vickie wipes away the tears before they could fall, “it's just hard for me to accept that I could do nothing for the brother that had always did so much for me.”

“I understand,” Sheila pulls back into her own world, “I still blame myself for my mother's death. She was so young and beautiful…she didn't deserve to die.”

“What happened to your mother?”

“That’s the problem. They never could diagnose the disease that was killing her,” She smiles weakly down at her hands now folded in her lap, “I…I keep feeling like it was my fault, somehow.”

“But that can’t be,” Vickie states with confidence, “You wouldn’t purposely harm your mother.”

“No…not purposely…But…I still feel…that was my fault.”

“…I’m sorry, Sheila.”

“It’s ok,” she forces herself to look over at the other girl, “So, what happened after fifty years?”

“A girl, who turned out to be a reincarnation of Lady Kikyo, suddenly appeared and freed Inuyasha from the seal!”

“So he really was just asleep,” she remarks with relief.

“I was soo happy to see my brother awake again,” Vickie smiles fondly, “We celebrated for days. I think it was the only time I liked his friend at all. But…things got bad again, and pretty fast.”

“Oh no.”

“The…friend…was given the responsibility of watching over the jewel because she is the reincarnation of Kikyo. But she didn’t take it seriously, and decided to try and go back home to her time without listening to the fact that demons and humans alike were after the jewel.”

“That was kinda stupid,” Sheila mutters before tensing, “Wait…she’s from a different time?”

“Yes,” Vickie answers, “Thanks to that mistake, a witch of sorts used her to bring back Kikyo from the dead in order to find the jewels. Luckily, Kikyo couldn’t be controlled, but had some serious emotional issues to get through. She and Inuyasha are friends now, and she’s become a fully living human after doing a dark spell that gave her a another priestess’s soul in return for most of her powers. She’s an average woman now.”

“Is…Is the girl from my time?” Sheila asks. She heard Vickie talk of Kikyo, but was suspicious of hearing about a young girl that has traveled time.

“Yes she is.”

“…What is her name?”

“She calls herself Kagome Higurashi.”

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 


	10. Chapter Nine: Confirmation From The Honest Brother And The Two Great Promises

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheila talks with Sota, and makes a few promises...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Nine:

 

Confirmation From The Honest Brother And Two Great Promises

**_~Present day Japan, Tokyo, Higurashi Residence~_ **

****

****

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

**__ **

            One moment, Sheila was listening attentively; as if the history she heard was her very own being finally told to her. But then the dark teen was racing out the room the next moment; surprising everyone as she ran from Tristan’s apartment before anyone could stop her. Afraid that Kurama and Hiei would interpret her running away as escape, Vickie chased after the two when she saw them go after her sister; all three barely able to keep up as Sheila raced to a strange residence. _~Is this…a shrine?~_ The youkai thought; her back prickling in a funny way as she looks around her _~Wait…This shrine…! It’s the one near the well I climbed out of to get here!~_ She thought; now anxious to get to her sister for a whole different reason.

            If the shrine was her home, and Kagome came through this way from the well each time she returned , wasn’t there a chance that she knew the young priestess as well? With that disturbing thought in mind, Vickie continued to chase; finally making it to the two that watch as Sheila opens the door to the house and, with a glare that promised pain if they weren’t quiet, slips in. _~I guess that means we can come in~_ She thought; following the two demons into the house.

            Vickie looks around the home with interest. She’s never seen a modern day house before, and thought it looked strange. There were…things in the kitchen she didn’t know or understand what they were for, and she almost went to touch the microwave to see what it would do when she saw the two male youkai trailing after Sheila up the stairs. Vowing to confront this odd creature later, the female youkai chases after them; taking the stairs two at a time in order to keep up.

They went past a couple of doors that Vickie could only guess lead to bedrooms or bathrooms before finally stopping in front of one.

“Wait here,” Was all Sheila told them before slowly opening the door and slipping inside. Vickie peeks in to see an upraised futon, a green carpet piece on the floor and more weird stuff surrounding a slightly big, square thing in the little room. _~What the hell are those things?~_

“Sota,” she heard the dark teen whisper; seeing her lightly shake someone sleeping on the strange futon, “Sota, wake up!”

            The figure in the high lifted bed shifts and groans before slowly sitting up and looking blurry eyed at Sheila. The covers had fallen back to reveal nothing more than a young boy with pale skin, sleepy brown eyes and short black hair wearing a soft aqua-green pajama set.

“S-sister?” Sota speaks up tiredly, “What’s up? It’s really late, isn’t it?”

“I’m sorry to wake you, little brother,” Sheila coos gently at him; tugging the small human into her arms slowly since she was still most likely in pain, “But I need to ask you something really important.”

“Huh?” Sota glances at her; frowning at seeing the bandages, “Have you been fighting again, Sheila? Are you ok? You look really hurt.”

            Vickie’s heart tightens at the sight of Sheila smiling at what she now knows to be her little brother, “I’ll be fine, otouto. More importantly, I really need you to answer me very honestly, ok?”

The young boy’s sleepy eyes slowly turn serious; a determination to aid his older sister shining in his eyes as he nods, “Ok, sis. What do you wanna know?”

“Just tell me one thing,” Sheila looks seriously at him, “Tell me where Kagome has been going all this time.”

 _~I knew it~_ Vickie thought; a wary chill going down her spine, _~She does know Kagome! The question is…how do they know her…?~_

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

**__ **

            Sheila watches as an array of emotions pass over her half-brother’s face. Sota was usually very honest unless asked to lie, and she could tell that he was fighting the urge to obey one sister while wanting to talk to the other. Kagome most likely told him not to tell anyone, so she knew this wouldn’t be easy.

            Once Vickie had said that Kagome Higurashi was the one that was visiting their time, everything started to finally make some kind of sense in her mind. Her A-grade, if a bit mean and hormonal, older sister had something going on, and Sheila was determined to find out. _~No more secrets~_ She thought, _~I won’t stop until there are no more secrets left for my friends and family to hide behind.~_

“Wha-what exactly are you asking me, sister?” Sota asks; his voice a bit shaky.

“Dear little brother,” she croons; running a hand through his hair as she cuddles him close, “I know that Kagome has been going to the Feudal Era.”

“You mean she told you?”

“No…Someone else that knows her did.”

“Was it Inuyasha?”

Sheila head almost snaps up at the name, “So she does know Inuyasha?”

Sota nods, “It’s true. He’s even visited a couple of times, but not by much,” he says with a pout.

“Don’t worry, Sota. I’ll ask him to visit more if I see him,” Sheila promises; meaning it with all her heart. Of all the people in the house, Sota truly did act like a sibling to her. They even fought over pointless things, and that made her heart feel so wanted and loved. She wasn’t sure how Kagome’s mother or Grandpa felt about her, and so didn’t really know how to feel. _~Plus they are not part of me. Sota is a part of me. Sharing some of my blood and life. He’s the reason I haven’t ran away already, cause I know he would be sad.~_

“Y-you will?” Sota asks; his hopeful expression enough to make her smile and nod at her darling brother.

“Yes. I’ll go and tell him myself.”

“I’m afraid you can’t do that.”

Sota squeaks and hugs closer to Sheila as a Kurama comes in, “Wh-who is that?”

“Don’t worry about it, Sota,” She growls; glaring at the red head, “He doesn’t matter.”

            It surprised her how Kurama flinched. _~…As if my words actually…hurt him?...Does…Does he care what I think of him after all, but isn’t showing it for some reason?~_ She thought. Now she remembers how upset he was about the rape, and realized he must be hiding his true emotions. Not that the knowledge made her feel any better about him or Hiei. _~There’s only one way to get him to let me go…~_  
“I’ll come with you to the Makai if you allow me to check on Inuyasha.”

 

**_ ~Kurama~ _ **

 

“Sheila no!” He heard Vickie wail out as soon as the words left the dark teen’s lips. Her distrust hurt. He didn’t understand why it did, but the lack of trust on Sheila’s end left his heart feeling like there was a hole in it. _~This must be some kind of magic empathy that she’s using without knowing it. Rather she knows it or not, Sheila is very powerful, and could become very dangerous.~_

“And if I still say no?” Kurama challenges. He had to gauge how serious she was. How much she could possibly be pushed or swayed to do something.

“Then I’ll kill myself.”

Kurama’s heart stops for a moment; his green eyes widening as he stares into the serious, dark orbs of the teen girl cradling her brother, “You would do that? Even at the risk of what it might do to the world?”

“What’s the point of saving the world if I can’t even help the ones closest to me?” She challenges back; her glare once again making him flinch, “You may not know loyalty or friendship. Or you may not even care for another’s life unless told to do so, but I’m not you,” She gently settles her brother back in his bed before glaring back at him, “Vickie needs our help. Her brother has been raped and you don’t even give a damn! I’m supposed to save a world that doesn’t care about the suffering others have to go through to save them? If that’s the case, then I’d rather die and the world can follow me to hell!”

“Sister…,” Sota whines softly; eyes sad and afraid, “Please don’t say things like that. Please don’t do that!” He crawls out of bed to hug her from behind, “You’re the only one that believes I can get over my fears. You don’t just simply say I’ll just get scared or vent your frustrations on me like Kagome. I love her still and know she loves me, but her lack of faith in me hurts sometimes. Please, sis! I love you both, no matter what and I don’t want to lose you or her. So please…don’t.”

“This is all so very touching,” Kurama hears Hiei says with all the care of a sleepy drawling cat, “Unfortunately for you, we can’t let you die. Even though I would gladly watch you destroy yourself.”

“Why? Because life has so little value for you that the only time you feel alive is when someone else is dead?” Sheila tests the shorter demon, “You don’t know the love and sacrifice of family? You’d give nothing to save one of your own if you discovered them hurt or raped? Are you really that heartless?”

            Kurama quickly interferes once Hiei becomes quiet; secretly knowing that the little demon would do the exact same thing Sheila was doing if he thought it would save his family or loved ones, “So you really intend to kill yourself? Despite what your brother has just told you?”

“My brother will someday understand that, when you care about someone, you have to be ready to give it all up,” Sheila remarks calmly; turning away from Kurama to smile softly down at her brother, “To do anything less doesn’t show just how much you love them, ok?”

            The young boy slowly nods; tears dripping down his face as he slowly releases his sister. The fox youkai stands silent at her convictions. _~She’s willing to die right here and now for someone she hasn’t even met. I understand her growing bond with Vickie, but she has no bond to this Inuyasha, and yet …?~_

“Fine. I’ll let you go to check on him,” Kurama gives in; privately relieved at the smile that shows on Sota’s wet face, “But only if you keep your promise to come to Makai afterwards.”

“I will go to the Makai after Inuyasha visits my brother,” Sheila corrects, “I have to keep the first promise before I do yours.”

“Fine,” Kurama accepts before turning and leaving the room.

 

He’d have to call Koenma soon.

 

At this rate, who’s to say history won’t repeat itself and the helpful demon won’t just kill destroyed?

 

_~I’m here for you, Sheila…Even though you don’t think so, I’m here for you. Just give me the chance to prove it…~_

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 


	11. Chapter Ten: Journey To The Feudal Era And The Misadventure

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha deals with his pain and Sheila ventures to the Feudal Era for the first time with friends...

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Ten:

 

Journey To The Feudal Era And The Misadventure!

 

  

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edge towards Kai, Goon Chinmoko Forest, Inuyasha’s Campsite~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

 

“What's wrong Inuyasha? You don't look so good.”

Inuyasha glares as best he could at the little fox demon, “I'm fine, Shippo. There's nothing to worry about.” He lies with ease. The night had been a rough affair for him with very little sleep and a lot of shivering. Even after his hair went white again and the demon half of him took effect, he still couldn’t stop shaking slightly. _~It was all a dream~_ He tries to convince himself despite the ache in his lower extremities, _~It was all just a really bad dream. There’s no way that Kagome could…rape me…I-I wanted it…I’m just…having a bad day…~_

“Hey, does anybody know where Kagome is,” Sango asks Miroku and Shippo, “I've looked around the campsite but I can't find her.”

“She may be at the hot springs,” Miroku answers, “you know Kagome loves to take baths.”

“Then we should wait on her to come back before we leave,” Sango looks around with a frown, “I'd hate to leave her in this creepy place.”

“Why don't you go look for her, Inuyasha,” Shippo suggests to the half demon prince.

“I don't feel like it,” Inuyasha growls. He wasn’t ready to face Kagome. Not yet. Not when he was still in so much pain his body felt like it was going to come apart.

“But what about Kagome,” Shippo whines, “you can't be so mean as to leave her here!”

“It's her own fault for leaving in the first place,” He tries to growl; although his voice seems to raspy to do it right, “She probably just went home or something.”

“We can’t risk that, Inuyasha,” Miroku states calmly, “Besides, why would she go all the way through this area alone just to go home? She would have waited for us to get up and take her home safely.”

“Whatever,” Inuyasha continues to growl, “Where ever she is, it’s her own fault for being there instead of here!”

“We are not leaving without her, Inuyasha,” Sango says firmly.

“Fine. Whatever,” Inuyasha grumbles before turning around and walking away with a slight limp he hopes none of the others notice.

“Hey! Where you going Inuyasha,” Shippo asks.

“I'm going ahead, you guys wait on Kagome if ya want.”

“You're always so mean! Always making decisions on your own and never thinking of Kagome,” Shippo shouts after him, “fine! Go then! We don't need you!”

“Fine with me,” Inuyasha calls back with a wave of his hand, continuing to walk away. He could still hear Sango asking the others if he was Ok as he takes to the trees with a grunt of pain and a dizzying sensation that nearly makes him miss the branches a few times. He couldn’t be sure, but Inuyasha felt hotter than normal and only desired to sleep and never get up again.

 

He barely even has the strength to stand without quivering.

 

Inuyasha had thought that, once he turned back into a half demon again, everything would be fine. But the fever was vicious and the shakes refuse to let go of its grip on his body.

 

He didn't even want to think about how hard it was to pee or how sore everything was…down there.

 

Inuyasha tries not to worry about the abuse he was dealt at the hands of his own lover. Tries not to question rather she truly loved him or not because of last night.

 

Doubly afraid to let go of the guilt and shame of somehow knowing and feeling that it really was his fault.

 

The hanyo forces his ailing body to leap over a cliff before walking a short distance and allowing his body to succumb to the need to rest; the shivering getting worse as he breaks out into a cold sweat that tries leaking into his eyes. Laying down in a thicket beside a meadow, Inuyasha felt tears falling down his cheeks quietly.  _~Kagome loves me…Kagome loves me…~_ He thought over and over again; hoping what his thoughts and feelings were saying to him were true as he slowly falls unconscious…

 

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

            She felt a bit sick as she dunks her head into the water; taking a quick morning wash to help deal with her guilty feelings. Last night, even with all its downs, was spectacular. Inuyasha had been exactly what she needed. He had a length and thickness that hit all the spots she wanted and felt perfect inside her. _~I knew we would fit perfectly together, but…~_ It still wasn’t enough. The fact that she had to make Inuyasha love her made her both sad and guilty. _~When he said no, I lost it. It made me so mad that he didn’t feel like showing me love, I just…couldn’t stop…~_ The young teen sighs dejectedly while coming out of the chilly water to quickly dry with a towel and get dress. This time, it was her school uniform as usual instead of something new and sexy.

“Inuyasha…Don’t you love me at all?”

“Kagome? Kagome?!” She hears Sango calling for her. Putting her thoughts of Inuyasha to the side to worry about later, Kagome rushes on her socks and shoes before leaving the secluded spot to be viewed by her friends.

 “I’m over here!”

            She smiles at seeing Sango, Miroku and Shippo looks of happiness and relief at seeing that she was ok, _~Good. He didn’t tell them yet. Maybe he does love me after all since he didn’t tell anyone about it~_

“There you are,” Sango remarks with a smile, “I figured you were taking a bath.”

“Sorry about that, guys,” Kagome apologizes, “I couldn’t help getting on a quick one before we went on our way,” she laughs, then frowns as she realized something rather bothersome, “Hey, where’s Inuyasha?”

“He got impatient,” Miroku states; causing Kagome to feel slightly irritated. Clearly, nothing has changed since last night for Inuyasha at all. _~So much for thinking he would suddenly turn into less of a jerk~_

“Yeah, he went ahead of us even though we told him to wait,” Shippo answers as well.

“I’m sure if we get going now, we’ll catch up with him,” Sango surmises; getting a nod of agreement from Kagome.

“You’re right. We’ll talk more about Inuyasha later. Let’s go before we lose him completely.”

 

 

**_~Modern Day Japan, Tokyo, Higurashi Residence, Bone Eater’s Well~_ **

****

****

**_ ~Sota~ _ **

 

            Sota stares at Sheila as she went through her inventory one more time; the overwhelming amount of stuff she was taking with her making him a little dizzy with trying to keep up. Assuring his mother that everything was ok once she came towards his room after swearing she heard a wail when everyone raced off from the house, the little human boy was glad to not have to think about what his only parent would do if she knew that he told the newest family member about the Bone Eater’s Well.

            It was supposed to stay a secret, but he couldn’t understand why they didn’t want to tell Sheila about it. ~Isn’t it a family secret, and she’s part of the family?~ He thought; not able to quite get what it all meant.

“Ok. I think that’s enough stuff to get us through about a month of visiting the Feudal Era based on what Kurama has told us about the economy in that timeframe.”

            The teen that his sister introduced to him as Yusuke nods before smiling at Joey, “Ya think you can live without Seto that long?”

“He can’t leave the business alone just yet, but he plans to meet up with us if it takes too long,” The one called Joey assures; although Sota could see that the teen would miss the older man waiting outside of the residence a lot for some strange reason.

“Back then, Japan was basically using Chinese currency that they imported, and starting using a kind of credit back then that was really popular,” Sheila remarks; merely copying what she already heard from Kurama. Sota wasn’t worried. His sister was really cleaver, and had a lot of her allowance that came from her inheritance turned into Chinese currency just in case she might need to use it. But, with all the clothes, food, and camping supplies that leaves everyone having to wear at least two bags that hook to their belts as well as large traveling packs, the young boy figured they were plenty prepared for anything.

 “OK,” his sister smiles at everyone, “I think everyone is set now.”

“Sheila!”

Sota glances up to see a lanky boy with dark brown hair and dark eyes wander in with four suitcases that could be rolled around if need be.

“Hey, Tristan,” Sheila greets, “I was wondering when you or Seto would come in here.”

“Seto had to get going because of some emergency call and told me to tell Joey he’ll catch up within a week,” the teen informs.

“Wh-what’s those suitcases from?” Sota asks; curious about everything they were taking with them.

“These are from Kaiba,” Tristan answers, “Apparently, it’s more money just in case our things get stolen or something. He says that Joey should have the voiced passcode to open them, since they are made of some kind of material that is nearly impossible to destroy no matter what you use.”

“Hmmm,” The one called Vickie hums in appreciation, “That was smart of him.”

“Yeah, they even come with trackers in case someone gets lucky in taking them.”

Sheila nods, “I’m really grateful to him. I wish he would have stayed long enough for me to thank him,” she mummers before looking over the group of people surrounding her, “OK, let me check to see who's coming with me. Joey?”

“Yeah.”

“Yusuke?”

“Yep.”

“Keiko?”

“Definitely.”

“Serenity?”

“Yes.”

“Kelson?”

“hmm-hm.”

Sheila sweatdrops, “I'll take that as a yes,” she looks over at Kurama and Hiei, “And they are willing to meet up with us in about a week or two if it takes us too long to run into Inuyasha,” she then turns away from them to smile at her friends “Alright! We're ready to go!”

“Please be careful, sis,” Sota frets, “I’ve only seen Kagome and Inuyasha come through here.”

“Don’t worry, little brother,” Vickie winks at the human boy, “I’ve got enough magically shards of the Shikon no Tama for us all to get through. For some strange reason, it allowed me to come through.”

Sota blushes at the teen’s words. He didn’t know why the girl kept calling him brother, but was told by Sheila that she somehow earned the right to. He didn’t get girls. They talked in such strange ways.

 “OK Vickie,” Sheila moves so that Vickie was front of her beside the well, “show us the way.”

Vickie nods with a grin, “All we have to do is jump in.”

“Good-bye everyone. Be safe ok?”

“Don’t worry, little brother,” Sheila’s comforting arms warp around him; making Sota sink into her enveloping heat, “Once we find Inuyasha and make sure he’s ok. We’ll let you visit him and let him visit you. Then I’ll have to go on another trip.”

“Will I ever see you again after your other trip?” He asks; voice muffled against her shirt.

“I hope so, Sota,” Sheila answers truthfully, “I’m really not sure what will happen to me on my second trip. Take care of mom, grandpa and Kagome for me when I’m gone, ok?”

“O-ok,” Sota nods; trying not to cry.

“We’ve gotta go,” Vickie calls lowly; as if reluctant to part them before she hands a girl name Keiko some shiny little shards and leaps into the well.

“Bye Sota,” Sheila calls; parting with him in order to take one of the shards and jump into the well with the other following behind her.

“…G-good-bye, sis,” Sota replies; a silent tear of farewell making a subtle trail down his cheek in the soft, early morning light filtering into the little building…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

Sheila had to force herself to let go of her little brother; quickly rubbing her own hidden tears away before jumping into the well into the unknown. In truth, the dark teen had shut her eyes when she jumped. Even with how convincing everyone had sounded about the Feudal Era, she still had doubts, and thought she would most likely hit her face at the bottom of the well with all her friends landing on her.

 

But nothing happened.

 

            Sheila shyly opens her eyes and gaps in wonder. Colors like a warped tornado-rainbow flow around her as she softly free falls through the space-like magic.  _~What-…What's happening?~_  She thought wondrously; looking around her with a sense of calm that bothers her a little  _~I feel like Alice going down the rabbit hole or something! This isn’t some kind of dream, is it?~_ The teen continues to wonder. Just when Sheila gets use to the feeling and starts to think she might actually enjoy this mode of travel, the colors surrounding her are gone and she's left staring blankly at the floor of the well a few inches under her. She sweatdrops, “Oh no.”

BAM!

            Sheila falls down on her face as the magic wears off, “Ouch,” she mumbles into the ground, slowly getting up and rubbing her sore face, “Ok…Maybe I don’t like traveling like that after all,” she groans before climbing slowly up and grabbing hold of the edge of the well to pull herself out. She freezes, looking the different scenery before her. Blinking stupidly, she ducks her head down, then peeks over the rim of the well only to do this again a few more times before she just stares at the green grass and a giant tree in some kind of wild meadow.

“This can't be real,” she says out loud, then moves out of the way as her friends come screaming out of nowhere and fall at the bottom of the well.

“Ow,” Keiko groans, rubbing her head, “I think I broke something.”

“Speak for yourself,” Yusuke glares at Keiko on his back, “I  ** _know_**  you broke something!”

Keiko blushes, “Oops.”

“Hmmm,” Vickie frowns, checking her rear, “I forgot about that landing problem.”

“Well I ain't sure to forget,” Joey complains, everyone laughing at his ground-imprinted face, “Just look at my beautiful face!”

“I think it's an improvement,” Yusuke teases.

Joey makes a fist at Yusuke, “Why I outta-”

“Oh my,” Serenity says, her hair falling about her gentle, pale face as Kelson helps her to her feet, “is everyone OK?”

Kelson glares at Vickie, “I've had better days.”

Vickie blushes, “Give me a break! I've only done this time traveling thing twice already!”

“Does that mean that this is it?” Sheila asks quietly, climbing fully out of the well to sit on the edge of it to look around at the wild and untamed growth that made her feel mysteriously nostalgic.

Vickie leaps out of the well in pure excitement, “This is it,” she raises her hands and twirls, “do you like it?”

“It is beautiful,” Keiko admits once she climbs out; her eyes looking the same as Sheila was feeling.

“So this is the Feudal Era,” Kelson states; already starting to wander a little bit while glancing up at the tree tops with a smirk, “Cool!”

Vickie bows, “Why thank you.”

Sheila tilts her head at Vickie; a thought that’s been messing with her since earlier coming back to her, “Vickie…you’re a demon, right?”

“Then show me.”

“Huh?” Vickie blinks. She looked as if she wasn’t sure that she heard Sheila right. Everyone pauses in their exploring to watch the two. She ignores them, her attention rapt on Vickie, “You heard me. If you're a demon, you'll have something that humans may not have.”

“Are you sure?”

She bobs her head in a nod, her eyes focusing intently on the youkai. Vickie’s eyes glitter as she allows her slightly large, black, puppy ears to stick up and smiles wickedly to reveal sharp fangs that Sheila had thought were just rough overbites before. Shifting around a bit, the pale teen lets a long, silky wolf tail find its way out of a hidden hole in her pants to sway at her side. Joey and Serenity scream, hugging each other and looking wide eyed at their new teammate while Yusuke laughs at their fear of the dog/wolf youkai. Sheila comes towards Vickie, reaching up and lightly touching the ears on top of her head in open fascination, “They're real.”

Vickie blushes at the attention, “I tried to tell you.”

She smiles at her friend-sister, removing her hands from the fleshy, cotton soft appendages, “So everything you told me is-”

_Rustle. Rustle._

Kelson and everyone else jump in alarm, “What the hell was that?”

Serenity quivers with new fright, “Vickie.”

“Yes?”

“Are all demons in this era friendly?”

“No. Most of them actually eat humans,” the female youkai replies; ear twitching to pick up any other sounds.

“Ahh,” Joey whines, “I'm too handsome to die!”

“Oh shut up Joey!” Keiko argues, “You’re not the only one that can die here!”

“Hush Keiko, everyone,” Sheila demands, staring at some moving bushes, “whatever it is, it's coming from those bushes.”

            The little group get closer together as the bushes become even more uneasy, a strange, smoky creature with a body and eyes like floating, spaced out atoms comes out into the open.

“What the fuck is that thing?” Kelson demands; hands balling into fists as he backs away from the slowly approaching creature.

“I-I don't know,” Vickie admits, “I've never seen a demon like that.”

“We're gonna die,” Joey cries, gripping hold of Yusuke, who whacks him upside the head with a frown.

Sheila nods with a determined look; seeing no way to avoid the inevitable, “Then we'll just have to fight it. Hey,” she calls out to the demon, “ugly! Get the fuck out of here now or else!”

“HHHmmmmm,” the demon groans like an old pipe being scraped another, older pipe, “I sseee fooood.”

“Are you slow or hard of hearing,” Sheila tries again, “I said BACK OFF!!!”

“I don't think he's listening,” Yusuke says through gritted teeth, backing up along with the others.

“No shit,” Sheila mutters as the demon comes closer, its eyes rolling loosely around the air, “Vickie, can’t you do something?”

“Right,” Vickie growls, attacking the demon with her claws and becoming wide eyed as she goes straight through it, “What the fuck?!?!”

Kelson frowns before shouting to Vickie, “The thing is made of gas and water, that attack of yours is clearly not going to help.”

“And I don't have my sword with me,” Vickie cries out, “I left it with Inuyasha!”

Joey panics, “OK, now we really are gonna die!”

“Yeah right,” Yusuke snickers; aiming his finger like a gun at the demon, “Spirit Gun!”

A blast of energy zips from his fingers to hit the thing.

“Wow, Yusuke!” Serenity exclaims before Sheila could, “What the heck was that?”

“One of my many attacks. I’m not a spirit detective for nothing!”

“Don’t celebrate yet,” Joey squeaks, “Ugly is coming back together!”

Sheila narrows her eyes at the thing inching towards them, “Hitting it won’t work,” She remarks; watching as the demon groans and simply glops back together, “We need some kind of fire…Yusuke, give me a cracker from your bag!”

Yusuke blinks before quickly digging through his bag and giving her a pack of Saltine Crackers, “That's all I got. I didn’t think we’d need many of them.”

“Not this kind of cracker, you idiot,” Sheila throws the crackers at spirit detective’s shoulder while Vickie tries over and over to hit the approaching monster, “I meant the firecrackers! What the fuck was I gonna do with Saltine crackers?!?”

“I thought ya had to eat in order to kick some ass or something,” Yusuke answers with a fluster of movement, hurrying to hand Sheila the firecrackers and blushes at her glare, “Now what?”

“Light them, dumb ass! I have an idea!” She tells him quickly; the tomboy in her burgeoning up in the face of danger.

            Kelson and Keiko help Yusuke get the firecrackers lighted, giving a few to Sheila.

“Hey ugly,” she yells at the demon, Vickie just barely getting out of the thing's striking distance as Sheila comes running, “I want you to meet some very close friends of mine,” she throws a firecracker at the demon, “things that hurt!”

The demon shrieks in pain as a firecracker explodes on its body, causing it to distort and shake horridly, “You'lllll paaaayy foooorrr thissss!!!”

“Oh really,” She taunts while handing a few to Vickie, “and do you want your payment in red firecrackers or blue firecrackers? Either color will look great on your dead body!”

The thing appears to quiver with laughter, “Yooooouuuu cannnnooot killllll mmmeeeee.”

“That's what you think,” both Sheila and Vickie yell together, throwing firecrackers that blow up and evaporate the monster's body. The creature starts to retreat and she isn't letting up an inch. The fight had gotten to her head. Even with her body giving dull sparks of pain to remind her that she’s still injured from two fights before, Sheila didn’t want to let it escape…

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

**__ **

“Come back and fight you nasty excuse for a demon.”

“Leeavvveee mmmmeeeee alllloooonnnnneeee!!!”

“Not a chance, demon!”

“Sheila,” Vickie calls after the rapidly disappearing girl and demon, “Sheila!”

“It's too late,” Kelson answers, “she can't hear you now.”

“Oh Sheila,” Serenity says hopelessly.

“Will she be OK,” Keiko asks Vickie in concern for her dominate friend. Vickie had been just as reticent to let the demon escape. Demons that got away had a habit of coming back. But, once she ran out of firecrackers, the female youkai was going to get a reload from Yusuke when the demon and Sheila took off.

“I don't know,” Vickie admits with a smile, “but if she has the nerve to chase a hungry demon that's several times stronger than her with firecrackers all over the whole of Japan, I'm sure she'll be fine.”

The group laughs, giving her the confidence that she could keep them calm. _~I may sound confident, but I’m actually very worried. If she runs out of firecrackers or runs into a demon that’s immune to them, sis could get really hurt…Or even killed…But…Inuyasha~_

“So what do we do now,” Joey asks.

“…Let's find my brother and his friends,” Vickie suggests, taking over for Sheila, “we can get them to help us find her faster.”

“But…Couldn’t we just follow the demon?” Yusuke asks.

“And risk running into a demon that could get lucky and hurt everyone? Not a chance,” Vickie shakes her head, “If we find my brother and his friends, we’ll have more people that are actually fighters to aid us.”

            Everyone nods quietly, their worry palpable to the youkai as she uses her senses to follow the faint scent of her siblings as fast as she could with her human entourage, _~Sheila…Please survive…I’ll never forgive myself if something happened to you…~_

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

“Come back here you chicken!”

The demon evaporates while giving Sheila the middle finger, then screams as she throws a firecracker that burns off his misty hand before vanishing. She stops running with a breathless huff, panting as she looks around her and realizes that she doesn't know where she is.

“Oh shit,” she curses out loud, glancing futilely at the wild greens and browns of the trees and forest for anything familiar, “I'm lost!”

            Mentally berating herself for letting the chase take over her common sense, Sheila tries to find a way out and sighs with a little relief at seeing a small but well-trodden path in the middle of the dense green growth, “Well,” she talks out loud to herself for comfort, “its gotta lead somewhere.”

Fighting her way to the path from the tangled undergrowth, she takes a moment to get out a Hershey with Almonds to eat before starting a journey through a time that her mind knew shouldn't be in existence anymore, but Sheila couldn’t deny what she was seeing.

 

She really is lost in Feudal Era Japan.

 

 _~Can this get any weirder?~_  She thought, taking a little bite of her candy as she looks at the darkening clouds and sky _~And of course it would start to rain.~_  she sighs; stopping to pull out her black rain jacket and hat from her travel pack just as it starts to drizzle. Continuing on with amazement at the sights the ancient forest provides, Sheila still tries to grasp the fact that everything Vickie has told her is real.

“The demons,” she talks to the rain, “…The story of her family…The life of Inuyasha and her brother…All of it is…real…”

            A flash of lightening and crack of thunder pull her away from her musings. _~This is no good! I need to find shelter for now and look for the others when the rain stops~_

She thought, walking the path a bit faster while looking around for good shelter to hide in. The rain starts to escalate; mud and water easily getting into her boot-shoes as she searches with growing anxiety. After walking for what felt like hours but was really only minutes, Sheila's face brightens at glimpsing a cave a small distance from the path through the falling rain, “Finally,” she puffs out in a little breath, running into the dry cave.

            Sheila takes off her travel soaked gear with a happy sigh and stretch; looking curiously around her temporary shelter for anything useful. While it was pitch black in the very back of it, the cave was study and had dozens of tree roots, sticks and twigs strewn around like discarded straw. _~Maybe someone else had to use it for temporary shelter?~_

“I’m glad I thought to put matches on the list for everyone to carry,” she cheers herself on before digging into the water-proof traveling pack for the hidden matches and lighter put up carefully inside. Once found, she sat them to the side of her pack and sits the extra bags beside it to start cleaning the stone floor of the cave in order to prepare a safe fire. _~I left the suitcases with Vickie and the others…I hope they’re doing ok…~_ She uses the soothing thought of her friends to keep her company as she sets up the sticks on the clean portion of the floor. Getting the matches, Sheila lights a small fire and exhales noisily with contentment at its warm, glowing presence,  “That’s better.”

“I'll say! It's hard to get good light in here. Although I’m rather fond of the dark.”

            Sheila jumps to her feet in surprise at hearing another voice in the cave. Easing closer to the fire, the dark teen feel a slow, alarming buzz riddle through her body while glancing around the cave's shadows, “W-who are you,” she yells, “Show yourself!”

“If that's what you want.”

She stares wearily as a young man comes into the firelight. Standing about 6'4”, he has strange eyes with the irises a full black and the pupils an electric dark blue. Wearing nothing at all, his body is covered by tiny pin-needles the color of black with blue tips that are adequate enough to keep her from seeing too much of his person. Even his hair stands in big, individual, sharp, spike-like needles moving with just a hint of a rise and fall; as if his very brain is breathing through them. He looks to be in his late teens or early twenties.

“You…you can’t be human…Who are you?,” Sheila asks again, albeit more firmly, “What do you want?”

            The stranger smiles, his thin lips painted a natural black, “I should be asking you that,” his crosses his arms, the slight movement revealing the smooth, lanky muscles hiding underneath the needles, “I've never had anyone come into my home and burn my bed with so much bravery and sass.”

“Oh,” She smiles apologetically; still feeling wary along with the embarrassment, “I'm sorry. I didn't know anyone was living here. I was just trying to get out of the rain.”

The owner of the cave raises a needled covered brow at her, “I see.”

“I didn’t mean to intrude,” Sheila quickly packs away the matches and lighter, “I’m really sorry. I’ll go look for shelter elsewhere and leave you alone.”

“Hmmm, interesting,” the guy drawls in a purring accent, “now whatever made you think that I would allow you to leave?”

            Her blood suddenly runs cold, the fight or flight response winning over her senses as she runs out of the cave and into the rain. She screams at a sharp pain in her back, reaching and pulling out a long needle, “What the-?”

“Don't make me kill you,” that voice purrs again, “I'd rather keep you as a pet.”

Sheila turns around and glares at him in defiance, “Fuck you!”

The strange man laughs a silky laugh that sets Sheila's nerve on end, “Do you know who and what I am?”

“Should I care?”

“I am Nails, the great Porcupine demon of the Eastern Lands,” Nails answers proudly, baring his pearl white fangs in a ruthless smile, “and I desire to have you as my bed slave.”

She wrinkles her nose in disgust, _~As if!~_ “Um, Nails was it? Hate to break it to ya, Nails, but I have no interest in you whatsoever. As far as I'm concerned you can die and go straight to hell with all that wishful thinking you’re having.”

“You're spunky,” he licks his lips as he suddenly appears before her and grips her left wrist in a tight, cruel embrace, “I love that in a woman.”

Sheila screams in surprise, “No,” she shouts, struggling in his hold, “No! Dammit, let me go!”

“OK,” Nails pushes her to the ground with a wicked chuckle, pinning her with pine-like needles that come out of his outstretched hand, “but we must begin to train you to accept me.”

“You bastard,” She gasps in shock when he climbs over her, wiggling angrily away from the hands wandering her body, “Stop!”

“No, my pet,” he smiles evilly at her, “it's rare that something as beautiful as you just happens upon my humble home.”

“I'm not a thing,” Sheila howls in anger, tugging her hand free and punching him in the face so she could free herself and run. Nails rubs his cheek in astonishment, then smiles.

“You won't get away from me, my pet.” He yells with a laugh into the rain; seeming to vanish as he goes after her.

            Sheila runs with all her strength, moving quickly through a daze of trees and green things that seem to grab at her. She makes it to an open field before she falls over with a cry at the pain shooting up her legs. Sheila stares at her legs in horror.

 

Needles as thick as her fingers run from her ankle all the way up her thigh through her black spandex/leather pants.

 

“Now, now my pet,” Nails comes through the forest and towards her with a cynical brightness in his eyes, “I'll have to punish you for what you've done.”

She cries; pain skittering through her body as she closes her eyes to accept her fate.

“Hey! Leave the girl alone,” another male voice growls harshly.

            Sheila opens her eyes to see Nails looking over the field. Risking a peek as well, the dark teen stares at a strange male demon with a large sword in his hands. Like Vickie, the demon has puppy ears on top of his head, except they were white with the insides being a light pink she could see easily from the five to ten foot distance from them. Guessing that he stands a bit over six feet, she saw that the male demon wore a strange bead and fang necklace, long white-lavender hair that nearly go past his knees in a smooth curve, a red kimono and hakama and, just like Vickie, absolutely no shoes were in sight. _~C-could he maybe be…?!...~_

The porcupine demon laughs incredulously, “And what are you gonna do if I don’t leave my new pet alone?”

“That’s easy. I’m gonna cut you to pieces!,” the puppy-eared demon shouts, coming at Nails with amazing speed.

Nails laughs once again; pulling at a needle on his body that immediately gets as big as a sword, “You should have minded your own business, kid!”

            Sheila winces as their swords clash into each other with such great force; the collision making a thundering light that brightens the fields from their weapons.

Nails fights the blow off with a labored grunt, “Stronger than you look.”

“Yeah, well I'm not done showing you just how strong I am,” the demon's sword starts to glow, “Get a load of this! Wind Scar!”

She watches the interaction for a bit before her brain gives her the brilliant idea to escape. Pulling the needles out of her legs, Sheila just barely rolls away as the power from the attack wrecks the fields, her eyes glued to the figures dancing in a deadly contest of survival from her new hiding place among some bushes.

“Nice little trick, kid,” Nails growls, barely getting out of range of the dog eared demon’s attack, “but I have my own tricks! Needle Spray!”

“Look out,” Sheila cries as several giant needles go straight at the one who dared get involved in her mess. The demon easily bounds out of the way, flinching when some lucky needles graze his arms and cheek; tearing at the fabric of his red kimono.

“Dammit,” he growls, “I've had it with you. Ultimate Backlash Wave!”

Nails looks at the energy wave coming towards him with a surprised look and an anguished howl, “No! I just wanted a sex slave! I just wanted a sex sllllllaaaavvvvveeeeee!”

 

Nails disappears into dust as the attack engulfs him.

 

            Sheila glances nervously at the remaining demon, wondering for a moment if he only saved her so that he could have a sex slave instead as she gets up and goes limping over to him. Standing at least three feet away, she pauses and takes a careful look at him. His skin is pale and broken out with goose bumps lathered in sick-sweat and the still pouring rain. His breathing is heavy and irregular.

His eyes, dull and unfocused, remind her of the most important person in the world to her…

 

Her mother before she died.

 

“Um, excuse me,” Sheila speaks lightly, then loudly once she could see he didn't hear her, “Hey! Are you ok?”

The demon snaps out of his trance to glare untrustingly at her, “What do you want?”

 _~What do I want? You only saved my life! ~_ She thought with a warm cherry blush _~He must not be used to saving people cause he would know what I want!~_

“I just wanted to say thank you,” she replies lowly; frowning over at him as he starts to shake, “Um, not to get in your business,” she remarks warily; secretly worried about the odd demon, “but are you OK? You really don't look so goo-”

            Sheila stops short with a scream as he falls to the ground in front of her with a thump. Hesitantly and with a wince of pain, she bends down to push at him; hoping he would respond…

 

But he wasn't moving…

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 


	12. Chapter Eleven: A Heart That Can Feel Despite Oneself

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha passes out, Sheila takes care of him and Kagome meets the friends from the Present...

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Eleven:

 

A Heart That Can Feel Despite Oneself

 

 

**** **_~Feudal Era, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown location~_ **

**__ **

**__ **

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

“Hey,” Sheila falls further to her knees in the wet mud; reaching the demon’s shoulders and turning him from his face down position onto his back so he wouldn't drown, “please don't be dead,” she whispers softly to him, tears starting to mix with the rain streaming down her cheeks, “I-I couldn't live with myself if you die because of me.” She waits hopefully for a moment, then panics when he doesn't respond, “Wake up! Wake Up!” Sheila cries out; the pain of her own injured legs, back, and bruised wrist forgotten at the thought of someone dying because of her again. _~Am I a caller of death? Is…Is Kagome right? Will anyone that cares about me just die or not exist anyways? ~_ She thought; her hidden insecurities trying to surface…

 

But then he moves.

 

            The demon groans weakly, his body going into spasms for a moment before he went still again.

Sheila smiles with renewed hope, “You're not in the best condition, but you're still alive. But… what to do?” She looks around for anything that will help, and looks in the direction of the cave she ran from, “Well…you did kill the asshole that lives there,” she mummers out loud, recalling that the cave isn't too far away from them and gets up on unsteady legs to start clearing a small path. Sheila had a plan in mind, and was determined that it would work despite her pain…

 

 

**_~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

            Kagome silently watches the group of teens that somehow caught up to them in mere hours by horses Vickie claims to have borrowed from Kaede. Once they left the Musashi Province behind, the young girl started to worry about not running into the dog demon by now, and asks if they could stop at an inn. _~I don’t think I would have stopped if I knew Vickie was trailing behind us~_ She thought warily, trying her best not to be disturbed by Vickie's smiling face whenever she looks at her or happens to catch the youkai’s eye every now and then. She's been smiling like that since her arrival with the strangers and it was starting to get downright creepy and annoying to Kagome.

            The mentioned something about needing to look for a friend they lost touch with at some point in their journey, but she privately didn’t care about finding some missing person. She was hoping to talk to Inuyasha. The present dwelling girl didn’t want to admit it, but, the longer she was apart from her dog eared lover, the more guilty and lonely she felt. Kagome was hoping that maybe spending time with the dog demon by doing something fun and carefree would ease the tension in her body from raping him last night. _~But we’ve been looking for him all day and it’s nearing afternoon now with no signs of him. I hope he’s alright~_ She thought; distracting herself by watching Rin brush Sango’s hair. Sesshomaru, Rin and Kohaku also rejoined up with them once they entered Kai province; the full blooded dog youkai having decided to wander ahead when they were in Musashi. _~Not like he informed us of anything. Just as usual, he just comes and goes when he pleases. Must Inuyasha share the same trait?~_

 “Impatient...Left,” Kagome repeats the words she’s heard from her friends earlier to herself with a frown. At this rate, she’d never be able to make-up and placate her lover. _~Stupid Inuyasha. You just had to run off~_ She thought; exasperated by the prospect of having to find him.

“He didn't want to wait, so he went ahead of us,” Miroku explains; mistaking the frown on the girl’s face for concern. He must have overheard her mumbles,

“Stupid bonehead,” Shippo says in disapproval before returning happily to slurping at the juice that Kagome bought him from the Present.

Kagome nods in understanding with a sigh, “I wish he wouldn’t do that. Inuyasha could get hurt out there.”

“He might be better off,” Kagome hears Vickie reply to their talking; causing the girl to blush and look away in upset.

“Vickie, please,” Sango defends Kagome, “Can’t you see that she’s worried?”

Vickie just grunts; a clear sign to all of what she thought of the whole matter. Still not sure how to get the stubborn girl to like her even a little, Kagome takes a chance to peek at Vickie and the oddly familiar group of people that she has confidently announced would now be traveling with them, “I’m sorry,” She tries to converse, “I don’t think I introduced myself at all. I’m Kagome.”

“We know who you are,” Keiko states with a smile, “I’m Keiko. I go to your school in the Present.”

Kagome pales, “Y-you do?”

“Ya,” Joey opens his mouth, “We all do.”

“I’m Keiko,” the girl with big, brown eyes and matching, short, silken brown hair talks to Kagome again, “I’m not in any of your classes, but I’ve seen you around the halls with your friends.”

Kagome felt a little faint. If even one of them mentioned seeing her with the boys at school, Sango and Miroku could get suspicious and start questioning her actions in the Present. ~Stay calm, Kagome~ She reasons with herself, _~It’s not like you flirt with the boys out in the open at school. They shouldn’t know anything~_ She forces a bright smile at Keiko, “Oh really? Well, it’s nice to finally meet you, Keiko.”

“I’m Joey,” Joey speaks up; chest in the air with pride, “The coolest one of the da group!”

“Yeah right!” Yusuke laughs, “More like the big mouth of the group!”

The dirty blond haired boy glares over at Yusuke with upset, hazel eyes, “Hey! What did you just say?!”

“Calm down you two,” Keiko giggles, “You both are big mouths, so neither one of you can talk about the other.”

Now both boys turn their eyes towards the pretty girl, “That’s just mean!” They complain; miffed by her comment. The rest of the group just laughs while Kagome blushes at thinking Joey looked rather cute, “N-nice to meet you both.”

“Huh?” Yusuke looks over at Kagome before his own cheeks go pink, “Right! I didn’t even introduce myself!” He scratches the back of his head as a sign of his embarrassment, “The name is Yusuke. Yusuke Urameshi. I go the same school as you as well.”

Kagome looks over the tanned, black haired, brown eyed boy and fights a further blush _~Wow, he’s kinda cute too!~_ “I’m sorry I’ve never notice you guys in school.”

“Don’t sweat it,” Joey laughs, “We’re never really there anyways!”

“That’s not something to be proud of,” Keiko points out, soft brown eyes looking at Joey in disapproval.

Kelson snickers; blue-green mixed eyes glittering in laughter as he introduces himself, “I’m Kelson. I’m not from your school or country. I’m just here because my only cousin called me up to help her out.”

“Your only cousin lives in Japan?” Kagome asks; genuinely interested. She still liked making new friends, and, of course, the 5’8’’ Irish boy is handsome as well. All the more reason to befriend him in her mind.

“Yes. She was born in Japan. We’re related through marriage, so we’re more cousin-in-laws, to be honest,” he replies calmly; his mid-length hair almost falling into his eyes.

“Really? I can’t wait to meet her,” Kagome says with honest excitement.

“Hi,” A girl with long, auburn hair and somewhat dull colored, olive-brown eyes chimes in, “My name is Serenity. I’m Joey’s little sister.”

“Nice to meet you, Serenity,” Kagome greets with a bright smile.

“And I’m Tristan Taylor,” A boy with brown eyes and hair arranged in a way where it spikes in the front says his name boastfully, “And I’m the most handsome of the group!”

“Now that, my friend, is a lie,” Keiko teases; laughing at Tristan’s pouty face.

“You all seem like great friends,” Miroku notes with a smile of his own.

“Yeah, you bet,” Serenity nods enthusiastically, “We came here to help Vickie with-.”

“A situation,” Vickie quickly interrupts; giving the girl a look. Kagome mentally cocks her head to the side, _~She doesn’t want us to know why they are here?...~_

“I have a question,” Sango intercedes curiously, “How did you all get here?”

“I gave them a jewel shard,” Vickie states calmly; the smile on her face getting bigger at seeing Kagome instantly get upset.

“I knew it! You took some of the jewel shards, didn’t you?!”

“I don’t deny it,” Vickie hums; her wolf tail flowing around her in a slow wag.

“But what if you lost those?!” Kagome shouts. She was at a lost to how to control Vickie, or get her to mind at all. Inuyasha, yes. He was stubborn, but obedient when need be. Vickie….Yeah….The teen privately wondered if it was wrong to want to drug the girl to make her mind sometimes.

“Then I guess someone had better start remembering my birthday so I don’t feel like stealing them,” Vickie replies with a smile still. Obviously, she didn’t give a damn about Kagome throwing a fit.

“Please don’t start fighting you two,” Sango sighs out. Kagome knew the slayer didn’t understand the tension between them, and mentally hopes that Vickie never felt a need to confide in her at all.

“Come play with me Shippo,” Rin calls to Shippo, running out of the inn's tatami room with Kohaku right behind her. Shippo puts down his juice and goes after them with a happy cheer. They were probably trying to avoid their arguing and love-spats. Heavens knows Shippo has told Kagome dozens of times that he wished they would stop fighting.

“Everything is fine, Kagome,” Miroku replies with patience shining in his indigo eyes, “Vickie is with us all the time. It’s not like she would be careless enough to lose the shards, right?”

“Exactly,” Vickie agrees with the monk while sneering at Kagome.

Kagome grits her teeth, but, after a few breaths, decides to just leave Vickie alone. Even she knew a fight with the girl wouldn’t help things, “I just wish you would have told me something.”

“You’re not my mother, Kagome,” Vickie snorts, “I don’t answer to you or anyone else. We may work together, but that doesn’t make you the boss.”

Kagome blushes. _~Why you…!~_ She thought angrily.

“Please stop,” Serenity pleads; watching the two warily, “We need to stick together and not fight right now. Both our friends are missing and could be in trouble.’

Kagome sobers at that. _~Inuyasha…~_ She frowns at the idea that Inuyasha could have been hurt enough to be in grave danger, “She’s right. We need to come up with a plan.”

“I think we should eat and then search,” Kelson suggests, “We won’t be able to search for long if we don’t have some kind of real breakfast.”

Everyone nods in agreement and settles down.

“I’ll go see if the inn keeper has any food already cooked,” Vickie grumbles; still openly unpleased as she walks out of the large room.

Kagome sighs to herself as she watches the youkai leave _~We are no closer to being friends~_ She thought in worry, _~How am I supposed to convince Inuyasha that he needs me if his sister insists on being a bitch?~_ Mind full of anxiety, her thoughts brought back the fact that Inuyasha left not too long after their…talk…in the forest _~It can’t be rape~_ She denies, _~Inuyasha and I are dating. Sex is expected. Inuyasha has to learn that~_ The teen girl reasons with herself; feeling a little better and free of her guilt as she goes over to her two friends, “Sango, Miroku,” Kagome sits between the lovers on Shippo's futon, “did Inuyasha seem ok when he left?”

“No,” Sango answers with a frown at the thought of their dog demon friend while putting her hair into a fast ponytail. Kagome knew she hated it being lose cause it would get in her way, but thought it looked nice down.

“I second Sango on this one,” Miroku states, “Inuyasha was acting pretty strange when he left.”

“Yeah,” Sango continues, “he seemed to be in pain or something. His breathing was a little labored sounding and he was walking kinda…strange…”

Kagome blushes guiltily, “You think he'll be ok on his own?”

“I don't know Kagome,” Sango replies in open concern, “he really had me worried.”

“Yeah…But it's Inuyasha,” Miroku reassures both his mate and Kagome, “I'm sure he’s just fine, where ever he is.”…

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

            The female youkai goes down the hall slowly. Vickie was angry, and wanted so badly to lash out at Kagome. _~Does she know that he was raped? Does she even care?~_ She frowns and pauses; not even noticing Rin and the two boys race out of the inn for some fun, _~And then talk to me like I’m some kind of kid! What nerve! I’m older than her by at least a hundred years!~_ She balls her hands into fists as she slowly begins walking to the kitchen to ask about food. _~Inuyasha…Sheila…Please be ok…~_

 

 

 ** _~Feudal Era, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave ~_**  

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

Sheila falls back on her ass with a huff; her whole body feeling like a painful nerve, “Damn you're heavy! Dragging you from the forest all the way here must have been the most I've ever worked out in my life,” she talks to the unconscious demon while getting up and preparing another fire. The first fire most likely went out when Nails chased her away before she could feed it anymore sticks. She tried not to think about it while talking to him. Sheila felt she had to talk to him. It didn’t feel right not to. _~…And I’ll be lonely if I don’t~_

“Lucky for you, my matches are still here,” Sheila says, rummaging through her pack to get the matches; glad to be lighting a fire in complete safety this time. She takes her time building a makeshift spit over the flames before unpacking a big traveling bowl and pouring bottled water inside to heat over the fire. After a while she stares shyly over at the demon. The demon’s clothes were soaked from the rainstorm, and Sheila knew what had to come next. Busying herself with pulling out one of her black robes and her sleeping bag out of air tight storage sacks from her traveling pack, the young girl warily speaks to the unconscious boy, “I-I'll have to undress you…W-wouldn't want you to catch a cold or something,” she speaks quietly with a blush. This wasn’t like tucking her friends in after a drink or even getting a glimpse of a naked boy’s chest on accident when she has to go pass the boy’s locker room in school. Sheila would be purposely undressing a man for the first time and she was mentally terrified, “I can't believe I'm really gonna do this!” She nervously complains out loud before inching over to him and fiddling with the ties of his kimono clumsily.

 After successfully getting off both of his shirts a few curses later, the teen towels him off with the now warm water to clean the dirt and sweat from his body before sitting him up against a large, dead piece of tree root inside the cave near the burning heat of the fire.

“I..I need you sitting up so I can get the robe on you after I clean you up some more, ok?” Sheila talks to him; a rare showing of her more embarrassed, compassionate side instead of her usual tomboy side coming to light as she continues to clean him. She rubs the washrag from her pack over his chest; her eyes glued to her own movements as she feels the taut contours of his body. Over his pecks…down his slightly obvious abs…All the way pass the belly button to the very top of his wet pants…

 Blushing brightly at noticing a man for more than just something to punch in the face or fantasize about from her romance novels, Sheila stops herself from going any further when a hand grips her suddenly. Just barely holding in a scream, the young girl tenses as she hears the demon cough,

“Do-don’t,” He begs; trying to move her hand away from the vicinity of his pants weakly with what sounds like a whine in his voice, “…P…please…”

Sheila is stuck speechless before nodding slowly. Then, realizing that the demon’s eyes were still shut, answers him verbally, “Ok,” she says softly; nearly cooing, “But your clothes are wet. Will you…take them off for me once I get the robe on you?” She questions, “It’s long enough to keep you covered, and you can wash…your other half…yourself, if you want to.”

The demon nods feebly; hands shaking as he aids her in slowly putting on a long, dark, kimono-like robe. She watches for a little while as he tries to pull his pants down, but his hands kept trembling and the demon’s coughing wasn’t helping matters either. Quietly, she scoots back over to him; her hands coming over his slowly, “Please,” Sheila says the words softly, “Let me…help you. I won’t look or anything,” she promises; waiting for him to give consent.

For some strange reason, the minutes felt like hours as the demon deliberated. Sheila almost thought that he fell unconscious again when he finally spoke up, “…OK,” the demon concedes; tension radiating through his sick body.

Nodding and turning red in the face, Sheila pulls off his pants carefully without looking. Placing the towel in the water and squeezing out the dirty, excess, she hands him the rag so he could wipe himself clean. There were a lot more passes of the towel back and forth between them. Sheila wetting and squeezing it out and the demon taking and cleaning the areas he wasn’t comfortable with her seeing.

It wasn’t long before he must have felt clean or had had enough of cleaning himself. He hands her the towel; his body still very feverish as he tries to settle on the ground.

“Um…I have a sleeping bag,” She tells him, “You might feel more comfortable in it.”

“I’m fine,” the demon growls; tense and shivering.

Sheila frowns, “No you’re not! You’re sick.”

“It’s none of your business.”

“Yes it is,” She says firmly, “You wouldn’t have passed out if you didn’t help me. Now stop being an ass and get in the sleeping bag so you can get better already!”

“No.”

“Yes.”

“No!”

“Yes!”

“Leave me alone!” He shouts out before falling into a fit of coughing.

Sheila reaches out to touch his shoulder, but pauses when he tenses and flinches away, “Please,” she says softly; reaching for him again and touching over his head in a motherly fashion, “You helped me. Let me help you.”

“…” The demon silently gets up; his body full of shivers and unnerving shakes as he goes for the sleeping bag. He then stops short, goes completely rigid and runs for the mouth of the cave instead; the sounds of his vomiting loud to the teenage girl.

            Sheila immediately goes to his side in order to rub his back while she waits for him to be done. She wouldn’t leave him alone.

 

She wouldn’t watch another person die and not do everything in her power stop it…

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

He wanted to push her away.

 

Wanted to hide himself in a hole and die.

 

He didn’t care if he never survived this sickness.

 

Could care less about the fact that his body kept telling him to go back to Kagome.

 

He just wanted it to…stop.

 

Pain. That’s all he could feel. Like his whole existence had only been for the experiencing of this pain that enveloped his entire body and some space beyond it he couldn’t name.

“I’m here,” the strange girl mummers as she rubs his back while he pukes his guts out, “Don’t worry. I won’t leave you alone. You’ll make it. I promise.”

Why? Why did she even care? Didn’t she know he was a jerk? A man who couldn’t satisfy his own girlfriend and couldn’t even keep the original love of his life alive? If anything, she should be trying to kill him in order to save the female race from anymore of his mistakes.

            But all he feels is the soft touch on his back guiding him back to the sleeping bag. His sick-addled mind picked up on the fact that she was rattling around in her giant pack for a while. Then the noises stop only for her to lightly press something to his lips. Inuyasha opens his mouth without thought; the sick making him become compliant. Whatever she put in his mouth was a thick liquid that tasted tart with a false cherry flavor made to hide the hideous substance underneath.

“That was medicine,” He hears her voice explain; refusing to open his eyes and face the real world, “It’ll help you rest and feel better.”

He grunts as a way to let her know he could hear her. Maybe she’ll just leave now. Letting him die in peace. But no. True to her word, the brown skinned teen stayed with him; talking in a soft cadence that had the effect of lulling him to sleep without him even knowing it did…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

Sheila smiles privately; proud of her work on imitating her mother’s soft, lulling voice that use to put her to sleep when she wasn’t feeling well. His even breathing was enchanting. The deep inhale, slight pause as if his lungs wanted to fully extract everything the air had for them, and then the sudden rush of air that flows from him as he sets the essence free had her seeing, just with that action, how different even breathing was when a man did it as opposed to a woman.

 _~I should get ready for bed myself instead of watching him sleep like I’m some lovesick girl or my whoring sister~_ She thought with a blush at her own indecency. Sheila couldn’t understand how one demon that wanted to keep her as a slave could disgust her while the other that saved her life could have her heart fluttering in her chest like a bird just moments after the fact.

            Assured by the sounds of him sleeping soundly that he wouldn’t be a peeping tom, Sheila inches out of her own clothes with a quiet cry of pain at the feel of the wet fabric pulling away from her injuries, and sighs in relief when it’s over. Inspecting her clothes, she frowns at the little holes and tears in them, “Well, so much for wearing those again. It’ll take forever to patch all these holes,” she fusses to herself. Trying not to focus on the blood caked to them, she sits her clothes to the side of the fire; figuring they might be useful for something else in this time of Japan’s history.

            Washing quickly and trying not to cry outright at the pain she felt when she stretched or wiped the washcloth over her legs, Sheila’s cheeks go pink as another indecent thought comes over her while she dresses quickly in an ankle-length blue gown and pulls out another sleeping bag. _~We shared the same washcloth…So…It’s like his body was touching…mine…~_ Feeling instantly guilty by the warmth this brought between her thighs, Sheila curls up into her sleeping bag and goes promptly to sleep; reminding herself that she didn’t want to indulge in anything that didn’t include her heart as well…

 

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

  

 


	13. Chapter 12: Injuries shared Can Mess With The Effectiveness of Dog Fruit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha has a dream, Sheila aids him through it, Vickie goes backwards to find her brother, and a stranger watches from afar...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Twelve:

 

Injuries shared Can Mess With The Effectiveness of Dog Fruit

**_~Feudal Era, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

**__ **

_“Inuyasha…I…I love you.”_

_His heart almost came out of his chest. It became tight, and then bursts with sparkling clarity. Finally, the truth was spoken. It wasn’t just sitting between them like an oni in a room full of humans that pretended to not notice the creature among them. It was out in the open and the dog demon didn’t realize just how much he wanted that until he heard the words._

_“Kagome…I love you,” he says back, smiling and opening his arms to hug the teen girl to his chest…_

_But then his hands were over his head. Bound tight and painful as the love of his life bounced on his cock like it was an unfeeling trampoline, “Ka-Kagome…Why?”_

_“Cause you don’t love me Inuyasha,” The long haired girl accuses in a horrid moan, “You didn’t show me love at all. Are you still thinking of Kikyo? Is that it?! Does that mean your words of love were a lie?”_

_“No, Kagome! I’m not lying! I love you!”_

_“Then how much do you love me? Give me your body. Your all. Submit yourself to me now, Inuyasha!”_

_“Kagome, it hurts! Kagome, stop! Kagome!....Ka-Kagome…!!!”_

“Kagome!!!” Inuyasha screams; sweat pouring over his face as he shakes his head left to right rapidly.

“Hey,” a voice calls to him in his sleep. It wasn’t Kagome…Who was that? What did they want? Was it the sound of death coming to relieve him of this pain?

No…Death never placed such nasty things like spoonsful of medicine towards your open lips for you to mindlessly swallow….Death didn’t rub a damp cloth over your face; the cooling rag seeming to hold the secrets of paradise as it wipes away his heat and pain.

“Shhhh,” the voice croons, because he was crying into its warm chest, “It’s ok. It was just a bad dream. Everything is alright. You just calm down and rest,” the voice, he identifies it as female, seems to cover his entire body in its quiet vibrations as arms gently wrap around his shoulders. Inuyasha was being rocked while the medicine slowly takes over again. His consciousness leaving him and going into blissful darkness instead of another dream…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            Sheila was already up after having slept for about four or more hours before the dull ache of her injuries woke her. Cursing herself for not thinking to bring some kind of ointment or alcohol to aid in cleaning and healing the painful pinprick injuries across her back and calves, her body became still and tight at hearing the demon scream what sounded like her half-sister’s name _~Maybe this really is Inuyasha? How common is my sister’s name in the Feudal Era?~_ She thought while going over to him.

            Seeing that he was sweating and shaking wildly, Sheila got clean water from her pack and used it with the washcloth to clean off the sweat after giving him some more medicine. She then rocked him back to sleep; her own body addicted to the feel of someone so warm pressed up against it. The fifteen year old hasn’t let anyone this close to her since the death of her mother except Sota. It felt nice, and Sheila wasn’t sure what she was going to do once it ended. Of course she was taking meds herself for pain and to prevent catching his deadly pneumonia. _~It’s way too sever to be just a regular cold. All I can do is make sure he eats, stays rested, and give him medicine around the clock…I hope he doesn’t die…~_ She thought; knowing that, while it was a typical disease, one could die from it very easily. _~There you go again, Sheila, being the harbinger of Death. Geez, give it a rest~_ The teen firmly thinks before smiling at the now still and sleeping puppy eared demon cuddling with her in the confines of the sleeping bag. Perhaps she wouldn’t rush to do chores or bother her injured body. Sleep was important too, after all…

 

_~*~*~*~*~*~_

 

            _Her eyes open to a world that was dark; the cloudy overhang taking over everything around her to the point where nothing could really be seen. Warily, she gets up ~Wh-where is the cave?...Where am I?~ She thought; looking in a complete circle around her until she finally sees a light in the distance. Squinting her eyes to see better, Sheila approaches the light, and gasps at seeing the dog-eared demon crying in the small circle of light._

_“I love you, Inuyasha. I love you, Inuyasha. I love you-“ A voice from nowhere invades the darkness; millions of images of her sister flashing through the darkness._

_“Stop, Kagome,” He wails; holding his head, “It hurts! Why does it hurt?! I…I love you, already! Stop it! Please!!!”_

_Sheila runs to him; wrapping her arms around him, “It’s ok,” she soothes, “It’s just a dream. It’s all just a really bad dream,” she comforts him; holding him tightly to her chest as the images start to blur away to leave nothing but a very dark meadow with red flowers blazing brightly in the nothingness. ~What in the world are those?...Poppies? Why are there nothing but poppies here?~_

_“Ka…Kagome…I…love…you….” The dog demon mummers, hugging Sheila in a tight embrace like her very chest held the foundation of life. She blushes at the feel of his warmth against her body._

_“But I’m not Kagome.”_

_“Then…Who…?”_

_“I’m Sheila. Don’t worry about it,” she tries to keep him calm, “You’re just dreaming. It’s all going to be ok…I just…don’t know what I’m doing in here…”_

_“Sheila…She…”_

_“Hmm? What is it?”_

_“…Don’t…Don’t leave me…Please…”_

_She nods, hugging him as close as she could while nuzzling the top of his head; his puppy ears impossibly soft as they brush her cheeks, “It’s ok…I’m here….I’m not going anywhere…Just rest…It’s going to be ok…”_

**_~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~_ **

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

“I’m going back to Kaede’s.”

            Kagome and the others look up at Vickie’s statement. After eating a hearty brunch, the group went about looking where ever they could within a few miles of the inn. They yelled, tried tracking, and had even asked others if they had seen a dog eared man or dark skinned girl.

 

But they kept coming up empty.

 

No matter where they searched, no one has seemed to have heard of or seen either of the companions. _~Inuyasha…Where are you?...~_ She thought.

“Kaede’s?” Keiko questions.

“Kaede is a priestess in the Musashi Province,” Vickie explains, “Sometimes my brother goes back to her for healing or information.”

“But we just came from there,” Kagome hears Miroku state before the monk frowns, “What reason would he have to go back there?”

“He might have been hurt,” Vickie replies; causing Kagome to glance away from them all. Was she really that rough? All she did was bind him, tell him to sit a few times, and show him how to love her. Surly she couldn’t be blamed for his bloody appearance afterwards? _~He was being stubborn~_ She reasons with herself, _~If he wasn’t so stupid and knew what I wanted, he could have avoided all of that. I would have been happy to open my legs for him without a fight~_ the teen imagines such lovemaking. Picturing Inuyasha coming to her in the night. Envisioning him tugging on her because he wanted to make love to her so badly. She would resist at first but then relent; letting his wild, demanding heat fill her with such love and passion as to wipe out the existence of others that have been before him. _~I’ll teach you to love me, Inuyasha. You say you love me, and I’ll make sure you follow your word.~_

“I hope he didn’t get hurt,” Sango interjects; making Kagome focus on the conversation, “He was acting pretty strange when we last saw him.”

“And when was this?” Vickie asks.

“Earlier this morning,” Shippo answers; sitting back on a futon, “He was being impatient and crabby. But he did seem a little unsteady on his feet,” Kagome hears the confusion in his voice, “Kinda wobbly.”

“Yes,” Miroku agrees, “As you may have already heard us telling Kagome before, Inuyasha did appear ill.”

Kagome glances over at Vickie to catch her nodding at the monk’s words.

“Then it’s settled. I’m going back to Kaede’s to see if he went there.”

“Ok, we’ll go with you,” Serenity replies.

“No,” Vickie shakes her head, “You might get hurt by demons if you come with me.”

“Then I’ll go,” Yusuke pipes up, “I’m not human, at least not fully. I can keep up, and I want to use this as a chance to show you I’m still a friend despite my mission.”

“Mission?” Kagome questions; hoping to get an answer. When it concerned Vickie, she’s learned long ago not to hold her breath. The female youkai has taken to only giving her straight answers when she thought it would be humiliating, or at least that’s how it seemed to Kagome.

“He has a mission to take my friend away,” Vickie remarks; the answer too vague for the teen’s liking, “That’s all you really need to know about it.”

“Please don’t be hostile,” Miroku placates the girl, “We’ll keep an eye on your friends till you get back.”

The dog/wolf demon nods; leaving the inn without another word.

“Why is she always so mean to Kagome?,” Shippo asks; frowning as his green eyes follow after Vickie.

“I don’t know, Shippo,” Kagome answers with a sigh, “For whatever reason, she has taken to thinking of me as her enemy.”

“Well, you do date her most treasured brother,” Miroku reminds her, “She’s very protective and defensive of Inuyasha.”

“Yes,” Sango agrees, “The two are very close. May be closer than Kohaku and me...And we all know that…I would do anything for my brother…”

“I wish I had a sibling,” Shippo softly whines. Kagome smiles when Serenity gets up to come over from the other side of the room to coo at the fox demon.

“I know I’m not your real sibling, but you can call me sis if you want,” the girl remarks, “I would love to have a little brother like you.”

“What makes you think I’m the little brother? I could be older than you, you know,” Shippo complains; only seeming to earn soft laughter at his words.

“Well, alright. I’ll call you big brother then, ok?” Serenity smiles

“But I’m your big brother,” Joey frets.

“Looks like he took your place,” Keiko teases; causing everyone to laugh except Kagome. She frowns while looking at the side wall, _~Is there no way to earn my right to be by Inuyasha’s side? He says he loves me, and we’ve even made love…But nothing has changed at all…~_

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

 _~Someone raped my brother, and someone is gonna pay! I won’t rest until I find him and force him to tell me what happened!~_ The youkai thought; her mind still in a flurry. Somewhere out there, her brother was injured in a way he shouldn’t be. While he had dated a few times, she knew her brother was a virgin, _~Inuyasha didn’t even fully understand the meaning of “getting tail” yet, and someone does this to him! I’ll never forgive them! That person will pay as soon as I figure out who it is!!!~_ It was enough to make her scream until there was no breath left for her lungs to hold. Until her throat gave up on her and simply became soundless.

 

Until the nasty deed was washed away from her brother’s flesh to the nearest crap area... Far away from the cleanliness that was his virginity.

 

            She ran the moment her toes touched the dirt outside of the inn; intent on making it to Kaede’s before night fell. She heard Yusuke following her and was glad that he could keep up. The youkai was in no mood to slow down and show anyone any kind of courtesy. _~And, to make matters worse, Sheila is gone too!...She might just be…dead already~_ She thought morbidly; her heart heavy with sorrow she made sure didn’t show on her face, _~I brought her here in hopes of helping my brother, and might have ended up getting Oneesan killed! She didn’t even get a proper naming ceremony yet…I didn’t get to honor her before her death..~_ Tears fought to dance to the surface of her eyes; temporarily blurring her vision before she shakes them away and tries to comfort herself, _~No! I won’t believe it! I can’t! She can’t be dead. She won’t be dead!....Please, Oneesan…don’t be dead. Inuyasha needs you…I need you, big sister…~_

 

**_??? _ **

 

            He watches dully as the energy of the one he was looking for radiates from the cave. _~Not strong enough~_ He thought; careless of the stink of the wet, damp earth that dared assault his nostrils, _~Her power is still too weak and random…She needs more time to grow the Will of her Heart…Then, and only then, will she be mine for the taking…~_

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

  

 

 


	14. Chapter Thirteen: I know you…Sorta

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Inuyasha becomes fully conscious and proves to be a handful, Vickie comes up with an idea and that stranger is still watching...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Thirteen:

 

I know you…Sorta

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~_ **

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

            He swims in and out of conscious; dreams that nearly destroy him seeming to freeze and pause for the soft crooning of a dark haired, dark skinned girl. Inuyasha can’t fully recall eating, drinking, or taking medicine. His life has been one delirious second after the next.

 

Until today.

 

            Today, with the sun dappling into the cave, Inuyasha opens his eyes with clarity to what was happening around him. He was in a soft, warm wrapping he knew to be a sleeping bag due to Kagome’s teachings of them. The smells were both disgusting and delectable. The odd smell of seasonings he knew to be the ramen he loved and the stink of what he guessed was medicine intermingled weirdly in the air. His ears flick at the sound of humming and boiling water.

 

Humming he couldn’t identify to belong to Kagome, Sango, Miroku, or Shippo.

 

            Growling, he shifts around to see a girl tying some string around a thick branch with dozens of little sticks together; the white bandages on her hands contrasting sharply with her dark skin, “Who the hell are you?” He asks gruffly; watching as she smiles at her makeshift broom.

“Oh, you’re awake. And it sounds like you’re feeling better too.”

“You didn’t answer the question,” he says firmly, “Who the hell are you?”

“No need to get grouchy. I’m Sheila,” The girl introduces herself with a smile and a light twinkle in her sable-black eyes, “Sheila Fantasy Kimiga Higurashi. You saved me about a week ago and fainted. I dragged you here and nursed you back to health as best I could. You’ve woken up a few times here and there, but only stayed conscious long enough to eat, drink, take meds, or go to the bathroom.”

            Inuyasha grunts in reply. Seeing that she wasn’t a threat, he slowly sits up; frowning at seeing he was in a black robe of some sort and not his usual clothes, “Where the hell are my clothes?”

“You got sick, so I washed them and put them away for when you were feeling better,” Sheila answers; getting up slowly and walking a little stiffly to her travel pack to rummage in it. He sniffs the air again; taking in the undertones of blood hidden by the food and medicine. _~She’s injured just about everywhere on her body. I can smell the blood that still stains her bandages. Her wounds must be deep…How the hell did she take care of me by herself?~_ The hanyo thought; a little suspicious of the girl.

“You’re Inuyasha, right?”

“How do you know that?”

“That’s what I thought,” the dark skinned girl smiles while coming over to him; the strong smell of medicine making him wrinkle his nose, “You screamed out my sister’s name in your sleep.”

“Sister?”

“Yes,” Sheila pours a dark red liquid onto a spoon from a bottle, “Kagome Higurashi is my sister.”

“Hmph,” Inuyasha snorts, “You liar. Kagome has told me nothing of having a sister.”

“Well, I’m her half-sister, and she doesn’t like me very much,” the girl sighs, “We share the same father. She’d rather pretend I didn’t exist most days.”

            The eerie feeling of deja-vu washes over him at hearing the words. _~Sesshomaru was the same way at first. Hell, he still is sometimes.~_

“You need to take this.”

“What’s that horrible stuff?”

“It’s medicine. It’s what helps with your sickness.”

“I ain’t taking it.”

Sheila frowns, “Why not?”

“Cause I don’t want to.”

“Oh, don’t be a baby about it. You most likely have pneumonia, and this helps your body combat it. Even if you are feeling better, you should still take it for a little while longer. Just in case.”

“My answer is no.”

“I don’t understand why you’re being so difficult,” the girl frets; brows knitting in worry and confusion, “You would just take it when I gave it to you before.”

“Obviously, I wasn’t in my right mind.”

“Maybe not, but I did promise to help you. Won’t you let me at least give you this spoonful to ensure you’re ok?”

 _~Help me?…~_ Inuyasha thought hard; frowning as the memories slowly come back to him, _~That’s right…I saved her from a porcupine demon…Then I woke up here…She’s even…slept beside me whenever I…dreamed…~_

“I’ll take some first, if you’re worried about it being poison,” She states; unaware of his thoughts.

“That isn’t gonna change the fact that I don’t wanna take it,” Inuyasha fusses before ending it in a slight coughing spell, _~Dammit! She’s right. Even though I feel better, my body is still sore and tired. I’m still not well enough yet to really do anything.~_

“See? You’re still pretty sick. I know you don’t want to take it, but it really helps speed up healing,” she says patiently; spoon still balanced between her fingers. Glaring at her with open distrust, Inuyasha finally opens his mouth; accepting the horrid substance with a quick swallow and groan.

“That crap is horrible.”

“This crap is making you feel better sooner,” She replies; getting up and going back to her pack to rummage again. She sure was a noisy creature.

“Oh no,” she sighs; causing him to tense.

“Now what?”

“My provisions are getting low,” the girl answers, sighing again as she fishes out a bottle of water, “I only bought about a week or so worth of supplies with me, so we’re running out of food and stuff, but…,” she warily glances at the mouth of the cave; as if something would suddenly go ‘boo’ and she wasn’t the type to enjoy such surprises.

“Don’t tell me you’re scared to go outside.”

The girl calling herself Kagome’s sister blushes, “The last time I went somewhere, I almost became a demon’s whore. Of course I’d be a little nervous.”

“How pathetic,” Inuyasha growls while pulling himself out of the sleeping bag warily. Not feeling too sore, he stretches with a grunt of appreciation for the much needed tug on his muscles, “You can’t go running around calling yourself Kagome’s sister and then be afraid of demons.”

“Why not?” She asks quietly; causing him to glance over at her curiously, “Am I expected to be like my sister just because we’re related? If she’s not afraid, then fine. Great for her. But she’s not me,” she sighs before going back to looking in the traveling pack, “Besides…Other than your sister, and perhaps Yusuke, I’ve never really took on a demon before…It was terrifying…And painful. I can still hardly walk after that encounter with Nails. Plus I’m scared of leaving you alone after how sick you’ve been. If something happens to me, and I’m not here to give you medicine…” The girl becomes silent, leaving the sentence unfinished. It wasn’t a thought he wanted to linger on either, and so he moved on to the more pressing thought hidden underneath it in his mind, “You know my sister?”

“Yeah. She’s the one that brought me here,” Sheila answers, “We’ve sorta accepted each other as siblings, so I thought to come with her to…see the rest of the family,” she said quietly. It felt like there was more to that statement, but Inuyasha couldn’t place it. _~She knows my sister, claims to be Kagome’s half-sister, and is helping me with my injuries…Just who the hell is this girl already claiming to know me? What was my sis thinking bringing this girl here?~_ He thought. He didn’t want to face his other thoughts. The thoughts that wondered what would have become of him if she wasn’t here. ~Without her, I wouldn’t be alive right now…Kagome would…~ Thoughts of Kagome brought the night rushing to him in vivid, sickening clarity. ~Why, Kagome?....What did I do wrong?...I wish I understood more about love and girls.~

“Are you ok?”

            Inuyasha blinks, coming out of his thought-trance at hearing her question, “What?”

“You were spacing out. Are you ok?” She asks again after explaining, dark eyes shining with worry. He grunts, turning his back to her. He couldn’t take her worry. There was too much on his mind for that.

“I’m fine. Just wait here.”

“You’re going somewhere?”

“Well, we have to eat, don’t we?” He questions roughly before walking out into the warming sun; purposely not giving her time to say anything else as he takes off. _~Kagome…I’m not ready to join back with the others yet. I’m no good to them in this condition anyhow. I’ll just find food and return here until the girl sleeps. Then I’ll go check on Kagome~_ He reasons; soaring through the trees gracefully with a troubled mind and dull aches in places that had nothing to do with Nails’s attack…

 

**_ ~Yusuke~ _ **

 

            They made it to Kaede’s within a day’s journey, but ended up staying a week before finding any clues as to Inuyasha’s whereabouts. While Vickie could smell him out, it took time to separate the older smells of him coming in and out of the village with the fresher, more elusive smells of him stalking among the trees. _~Cleaver fucker wasn’t on the ground and that made it impossible to smell him there~_ He thought, trailing behind the female youkai through Inuyasha Forest. Despite its deceptively short distance from Kaede’s Village, the spirit detective learned quickly that the forest was a maze of hidden caves, strange treasures, and quite a few demons. _~I’m surprised I haven’t passed out with how many times I’ve had to use my Spirit Gun or aid Vickie in knocking over some green or red colored asshole that was intent on eating me or stealing her. Even humans have tried to mess with us! The Feudal Era is fucking nuts!~_

“I can sense him now,” Vickie says with triumph, “We’re almost there.”

“Good. I bet the others are worried out of their skulls about us and the missing two.”

“I’m worried too,” she admits, “Inuyasha has never stayed away from the group this long before, and Sheila has never been to the Feudal Era. But I’ve picked up on her scent a few times, so maybe she’s ok?”

“Of course she is,” Yusuke states without hesitation, “Sheila is tougher than she knows. I’m sure she’s doing fine,” he reassures. As a human and demon hybrid himself, Urameshi had senses as well, and was glad to feel them going off at the impression of a stronger male signature that shared some elements of the youkai with him. He knew Vickie was blaming herself for everything, and has witnessed her break down in the elderly woman’s arms that everyone called Kaede each night that they hadn’t found hair nor hide of either of their two friends. He was hopeful that they would finally catch a break and the poor girl wouldn’t be left crying again tonight while he pretended to sleep in the soft furs on the floor of the gassho style house.

            The sound of an angry squeal pulls him from his reverie, the pair ducking down into a bush just as a large boar got tossed only a few feet from where they were standing, “The hell?!” He whispers in shock when the poor creature’s body twitches and runs with nerves. It was already dead, but the body was taking a while to get the memo. It was a large beast. Easily standing well over four feet tall as well as nine inches long, and looking to be at least seven hundred pounds, the now dead male stares at Yusuke with unseeing, beady black eyes; his mouth frothing with spit and blood underneath the incredible tusks it had. There was blood across its flank, the dislocated hind legs going in the wrong direction as its ripped open side bled with enough force to warn the Spirit Detective that the main artery had been torn asunder, “Shit, that’s gross,” he groans; face contorting in disgust as the dead, broken animal ran in place for a bit and gives out broken, distressing snorts before slowly going still.

            Not even seconds after that a young man in a black, flowing robe that looked suspiciously like a bathrobe appears. Standing a bit taller than Yusuke as far as he could tell from his hiding place, the male was lanky, his muscular structure hidden well by the long robe as he squats down to inspect his kill. Being barefoot, the male had skin much like his own tanned fair skin, but had long silvery hair and white dog ears on top of his head, “…Is that…?” He questions Vickie beside him, whom only nods with eyes hooked on the figure before them. _~So that’s the victim, Inuyasha.~_ He thought; watching as the hanyo seems to approve the meat before picking it up and  wandering towards the village, _~What in hell is he doing?~_

“We should follow him from a distance,” Vickie suggests, “My brother must be really sick…He can usually sense when people are so close by,” she notes quietly; Yusuke able to see the worry written on her face.

“Then let’s follow him and figure out just what the hell has him so out of it. He might still be in pain from the attack we heard of only a week ago,” He answers; inching along at a safe distance with Vickie.

            After a while, Inuyasha puts down the still whole carcass before silently stalking into the village. He watches with Vickie as the dog eared demon glances around before stealing a few of the crops and zipping back into the forest; lugging the kill on his shoulder before racing off again, “The villagers are gonna shit bricks when they find that crop gone,” Yusuke mummers; fighting the urge to snicker.

“Come on,” Vickie urges, seeming to not care what the villagers did about it, “We don’t want to lose him now!”

Nodding, he races after her; careful to stay out of sight as they go deep into the forest. The hanyo stopped at a cave hidden well in the thick underbrush, “I’m back!” he yells; dropping the boar and crops to the side of the cave.

            Yusuke’s eyes widen as Sheila comes limping into view from inside the cave, “Sheila!” He whispers; heart in elation at seeing her alive. While he had never lost hope that she really was ok, words couldn’t describe the joy at seeing the proof of his hopes before him. Vickie shushes him; although her own eyes were reflecting the same feelings he felt.

“Welcome back. Oh!” Sheila exclaims at the sight of the kill and vegetables, “It’s a good thing I took a few cooking classes here and there. I shouldn’t have any problems making us a good breakfast with this.”

“Great. Cause I’m starving,” Inuyasha answer gruffly; walking past the girl to go into the cave. Yusuke saw a hint of a frown as Sheila followed after.

Getting up, he frowns when Vickie grips his arm before he could go any further, “Why the hell are you stopping me? We found them!”

“Shhh!” Vickie implores, “Let’s leave them alone.”

“What?!”

“Hear me out. You need Sheila to bond with Inuyasha in order to find out if she’s really the helpful demon, and I have my own reasons of wanting the same thing. If we interfere, they might not get the chance to bond like this without all of us in the way, and then no one will really know the truth of what she is or possibly what she can do.”…

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

            Vickie waits in tense silence as Yusuke thought over her words. It’s been a hard week. No matter how hard she had tried, finding Inuyasha had been difficult. Even the most fresh of his scents were faint. _~Brother…you haven’t been moving around much, have you? My usually active little brother has been staying still in a cave. He must be sick or really hurt…But Sheila is with him~_ She reminds herself; heart feeling warm at the thought that both of them were at least together. She could see that it wasn’t going too well though, _~My brother is showing his ass as typical, and I bet from that frown on Sheila’s face that, if we go in there and reveal ourselves, oneesan will have nothing to do with otouto. As much as I want to go in there and hug them both to death, they need more time to learn about each other without the risk of Kagome warping it, or the others getting in the way.~_

Finally, the young man nods; causing Vickie to smile brightly, “Alright. I don’t know if this is a good idea, but I’ll keep quiet about seeing them to the others.”

“Thank you,” she hugs him; laughing softly at his blush from the contact, “Let’s get going. We need to go have breakfast ourselves before we regroup with the others.”

“Again? But we already had breakfast,” Yusuke replies; the sound of his voice enough proof for her that he was following behind her as she begins to leave the forest.

“Yeah, but I’m hungry again!” She confesses; laughing as he shakes his head. _~Oneesan…please see through otouto’s stupid mask and get closer soon. I still haven’t had time to talk to Sesshomaru about a naming ceremony! Not to mention I still have vengeance I need to enact on a peeping monk~_ she thought, her mind settled enough to recall the sneaky prank she had in store for Miroku…

 

 

**_??? _ **

 

            He watches the excited pair leave the forest before eying the cave again. _~Would this foolish dog really be the one to open the treasures of her heart for me to plunder?~_ he thought; Patiently sitting on his perch in a tree very distant from the cave…

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 


	15. Chapter Fourteen: A Time For Trust Is Crucial For Survival

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A testy stranger brings trouble for an already troubled pair...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Fourteen:

 

A Time For Trust Is Crucial For Survival

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Somewhere outside The Unknown Cave~_ **

 

 

**_ ~???~ _ **

**__ **

            The second week of their stay in the cave wasn’t very eventful to watch. The dog eared demon was rude, condescending, and seemed to gripe at every little thing the girl said to him. The dark skinned girl in turn tried reasoning with him; only to become quiet when the words stung too much or she became tired of trying to assure him that she was safe to trust or be around. Administering medicine was a challenge that became a fight easily. The only time the two seemed to not be at each other’s necks in one way or other was during meals, _~This fool cannot possibly be the one to open her heart for me to grab at her Will~_ He thought with a tinge of annoyance at wasting the precious couple of days watching the insanity, and felt fully justified in wanting to teach the idiot a lesson.

“Looks like it’s time to test this rather futile union. If he isn’t the one, at least I get the joy of watching him die.” …

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

 _Once upon a time_  
We swore not to say goodbye  
Something got a hold of us and we changed  
Then you sat alone and pried  
And I sat at home and cried  
How'd our fairytale just end up this way

 _We went_  
Round for round  
Till we knocked love out  
We were laying in the ring  
Not making a sound  
And if that's a metaphor of you and I  
Why is it so hard to say goodbye?

            Sheila listens to her mp3 player as she comes out of the nearby river she was able to find. With water bottles being so low, it was imperative to get use to leaving the cave for the short walk to the flowing, cool water. That, and it was the only way to get a break. _~Inuyasha is awful. I don’t see what anyone would see in him~_ She thought; sighing as she dries off quickly in order to dress in some black undergarments, a long sleeve, blue shirt that came to her hips and some comfortable jeans. The second week brought a contrast to the man that made her wish he would just stay sick. The first week he was quiet, pliant and willing to trust her touch to lead him while he healed. But now, just barely three days into the second week, he became a monster. _~He rarely has a nice thing to say, he’s always so suspicious of every move I make and he talks to me like I’m some imbecile he has to tolerate!~_ she fumes. Her own body was still healing. Any sudden moves or bending and her legs and back would give off sharp pangs of agony. Sheila didn’t even wanna think about the growing bruise on her wrist that the demon had left from gripping her or her very tender ribs from earning her place among the family.

 _~Not that Inuyasha cares…As far as he is concerned, I’m just lying.~_ A strong desire to just cut her losses and leave hits her, but then she sighs guiltily for even thinking it _, ~He doesn’t know that I know about the rape…And he still sweats and ends up needing me to come into his dreams at night to comfort him~_ Dream Inuyasha and his waking counterpart were like day and night to the teen. His dream half talked softly at Sheila, thanked her for coming to him each night and held her tight with a gentleness that has her heart melting. _~But he’s a whole other person when he wakes up…He’s so mean to me, it takes everything to ignore it and continue helping him…I know he really needs my help, but…~_

            She shakes her head; determined not to give up until they got back with Vickie, _~I may not like him, but he’s still my sister’s brother. I’ve just gotta find a way to make this work~_ She thought, packing up her towels and toiletries in a small duffle bag before walking slowly back to the cave. _~…Do I risk talking to him about it? Maybe it’ll help somehow…?~_ The young girl muses; doubt filling her heart when she felt something grab hold of her arm and toss her through the air. Screaming until she landed with hard impact against the ground, Sheila winces in renewed pain at her battered body being abused when she glances up and sees what looked like a man in an old, long kimono. The problem? He had no eyes.

“Wha-..What are you?” She demands, scooting away as fast as she can as the creature approaches, “You look human, but you don’t have anything in your eye sockets! G-go away! Leave me alone!” Sheila screams again as the eye-less man grips hold of her bruised wrist; bringing her close enough to see the inside of his eye sockets. Blood vessels and muscles pulse and move in ways that make her feel sick, the teen struggling before she smacks him and falls on her ass when it lets her go. Panting, she runs for it; heart already slamming hard into her chest as she tries to race away. Sheila only got a few feet away before a hand got hold of her from behind; her hand frantically trying to get the creature to let go of her neck before he crushed her spine.

“Put her down! Iron Reaver Soul Stealer!” Inuyasha shouts; seeming to come out of nowhere as he takes off the hand holding the back of her neck. Sheila falls to the ground with a grunt before pulling the hand off her neck with a shiver of disgust. Throwing the dismembered hand away without looking too closely so as not to see the dark blood dripping from it, she turns around to stare in horror as seeing the creature merely grow the missing appendage back within seconds _~It regenerated!~_

The human-like attacker strikes at Inuyasha; barely missing him as he hacks off an arm…Only to grow it back again amongst the blood and flesh that fell to the ground.

“What the hell is that thing?” She asks; forcing herself to her feet and moving to the side as the dog eared demon goes past with it chasing after him.

“Dammit! It’s a hitogata. And the fucker can regenerate!” He growls; still clawing at it with little success. Sheila frowns; trying to look for any changes or weak points that would aid in fighting. _~It’s no good. Inuyasha is tearing it apart and it’s still standing! There must be some kind of way to stop it…It’s missing its eyes… Maybe there’s a clue there?~_

She thought; wincing as Inuyasha takes out his sword and chopped off the thing’s legs. Staring hard as it grows the limbs back, the teen girl notices that it’s inner sockets went blue when it was growing its body back and red when it finally decides to attack; the creature throwing an energy orb that chases the hanyo in order to get him in his arm.

            Without thinking, she attacks; racing into the fight to put her hand through its chest. She screams and tugs her hand away as its body tried to regenerate around her hand. Cursing under her breath, she ducks as it tries to punch her and runs away as Inuyasha growls and waves his sword to take off the offending arm.

“Stay the hell out of the way!” He shouts at her.

“But his eye socket changed color,” she argues, “It must mean something, right?”

“It means stay the hell back, stupid! I can’t protect you if you get in the way!”

“But I wanna help!”

“You aren’t any help! You’re just making things worse!” He yells back before yowling in pain as the hitogata succeeds in raking its long nails through his side.

            Sheila gasps and frowns; fighting an insane need to slap Inuyasha even while being afraid for his life. _~Ignore him for now. Think, Sheila. Think! It has a weakness…You just gotta find it before it kills Inuyasha…~_

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

            The pain in his side and arm were easy to ignore as the dog demon focused on keeping out of reach of the hitogata _~Figures this shit would happen while I’m still sick. And now I’ve got to find some way to keep this damn thing from hurting that dumb girl~_ He thought; irate from her efforts to help. If he couldn’t chop the damn thing down, what made her think that she, with such an injured body, could do it? Amateur! It was enough to make him yell at her again, _~She is right about one thing though. I need to figure out how the hell to kill this thing before it wears me out. Maybe a wind scar might work~_ He decides; readying himself for the attack. Seeing the fissure between the aura winds as they leap at each other, he strikes; hoping the attack worked on the blue and red kimono wearing clay doll. _~What I wouldn’t give to have Kagome here right now~_ He thought vaguely; mentally hating himself for feeling like he needed her just to fight a mere doll.

            The smoke from his attack cleared only to give him the sick view of the pieces of meat putting itself back together again; the eyeless creature seeming to stare holes into him as it attacks with another one of those strange red orbs, “Not again!” He hisses; just barely knocking away the attack and panting softly as the hitogata moved out of the way of its own blast. ~Dammit! I’m still too tired for this~

“Inuyasha! Listen to me! Please!” She shouts at him; still too close to the fighting for his liking. _~She’s got balls, I’ll give her that much. May be she is Kagome’s sister after all~_

“What the hell do you want? Can’t you see I’m busy?!”

“Listen! It’s afraid of getting hit by the orbs too!”

“Your point?” He yells; once again avoiding an energy sphere.

“They must have something to do with destroying it, right? Why would it run away otherwise?”

“Is that all you wanna tell me?! Will you stop distracting me?!”

“Inuyasha shut the fuck up and listen!” She growls; dark eyes heated as she talks, “Just try knocking the orbs back into it, dammit! Unless you want to die fighting a doll. I’m sure that’ll be great to tell other demons!”

He blushes in embarrassment, _~Smartass cheeky bitch~_

“Just try it!”

“Alright! Alright!” He shouts; gritting his teeth as he focuses on not getting hit by the barrage of physical attacks the clay doll delivers. After a few kicks and punches that don’t land, the eye sockets go red; the only warning Inuyasha gets before an orb comes flying his way.

“Here goes nothing!” He grunts out. Taking aim and waiting, he hits the single orb with all his might; giving the hitogata a sneering smile as the ball of energy speeds right into its glowing sockets, “Take that!”

With a strange hiss the doll disintegrates into harmless dirt and bones; the stench enough to make him nearly pass out as his powerful sword falls back into a battered weapon he puts in its sheath. He tenses; shock vibrating in his being as hands wrap around his person.

“You did it! I’m so glad you’re alive!” Sheila looks up at him; her blue-black eyes concerned at the blood that oozes from his torn open side, “We better get inside so I can bandage that.”

“Why? You my nurse now?!” He growls; his body still very tense. Inuyasha was afraid. That night with Kagome made him not want to take chances again. What if he made a mistake and the pain he deserves for it is worse than he already received? The very subconscious thought of it made him push her away from himself quickly, and feel guilty when she stumbles at the sudden move…

            The girl sighs, not giving him eye contact as she starts to walk to the cave, “If we don’t learn to work together or trust each other, we won’t live long enough to heal and see Vickie again.”

“You mean you won’t live long enough to see Vickie again. That thing was after you,” Inuyasha points out with a huff, “I don’t need your protection. Remember that!”

            He tenses again as she pauses at the mouth of the cave; turning to him with tears shining in her eyes. After all the abuse and cruelty he’d caused her, it was rare that she openly cried about it from what he could recall.

“Yes, Inuyasha. I need you. Please try to deal with it. Just until we get back with Vickie and the others. Then, we can ignore each other and never have a word pass between us ever again.”

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            She didn’t wait for his answer. The triumph and hope she felt when he listened to her and gave the attack a shot had left her quickly. It hurt to know he didn’t trust her. It pained her body to know that he found her useless. And, as she turns her mp3 player back on to replay Mariah Carey’s “Hate U” after it got turned off from all the jostling of the fighting, it hurt her heart to know that every effort to make peace was merely in vain…

 

 _I can't wait to hate you_ __  
Make you pain like I do  
Still can't shake you off  
I can't wait to break through  
These emotional changes  
Seems like such a lost cause  
I can't wait face you  
Break you down so low  
There's no place left to go  
I can't wait to hate you

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 


	16. Chapter Fifteen: The Stand-Still Breaks In Face Of The Dog Heart Poppy

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sheila and Inuyasha come to a stand-still and the consequences could be dire, Kagome and the others are still looking while Kaede deals with a rather peculiar problem with missing crops...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Fifteen:

 

The Stand-Still Breaks In Face Of The Dog Heart Poppy

**_~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~_ **

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

           

            Kagome falls onto the futon with a pant; tired from all the work they’ve been doing from early to late morning. The inn keeper was willing to let them stay free of charge as long as they were willing to patrol for demons, and it was a lot of work to dissuade the nuisances to stay away from village crops and children. _~It’s been a full two weeks since we Inuyasha went missing…~_ She thought. After a short time, the group of over eight members had decided to band together while their companions were lost to them; taking time to learn about each other as well as supporting one another during their demon watch shifts. _~Sesshomaru even makes time to talk with Serenity and her brother, Joey. But, no matter which of us go searching, we still haven’t found neither Inuyasha nor the extra teammate.~_

            She groans _~And I haven’t had much time to study or visit Koga and Hojo.~_ Feeling hopeless and lonely, she sits up slowly as the others come pouring in for lunch; the amiable chatter enough to get on her nerves. _~And Vickie is just laughing it up with Miroku and Yusuke. Shouldn’t she be more upset about the fact that her brother isn’t here?~_ Kagome thought; suspiciously watching as the youkai waves her claws around in some imitation of an attack while speaking with Yusuke.

“Say, Vickie…Might I ask you something?” She asks; unable to hold her peace any longer.

Vickie glances over at her dully, “What ya want?”

“I was wondering…You and Inuyasha have really sensitive noses, right?”

“Yeah, and?”

“Well…It’s kinda strange that you haven’t picked up on his scent when you went to Kaede’s a few weeks ago.”

“And it’s kinda strange how you can call me strange when you don’t even belong here,” the girl growls in retaliation, “Unless you wanna prove me wrong?”

“P-prove you wrong?”

“Yeah,” The youkai nods, “Take off the bow and arrow and fight me!”

“Vickie,” Sesshomaru’s voice was clip and sharp; the sexy, deep sound giving off a warning that even Kagome understood.

 

There wasn’t going to be any fighting among them.

 

Not when they all were important for the search and demon watching.

 

            The teen was privately glad when Vickie just growls and goes to a futon. While she would do anything to get the other girl’s friendship, fisticuffs was not her strong suit. _~Hmmm…Maybe I can do this another way~_

“Hey, Vickie.”

“Now what do you want?”

“Are you willing to teach me to fight?”

Vickie raises a brow at her, “Teach you? I’ll be amazed if you can make a proper fist, better off, throw a punch.”

“That’s not very nice, Vickie,” Serenity gently butts in, “We have to work together. Please try to get along.”

“Fine,” The youkai growls before glaring over at Kagome; making her feel very small, “You wanna train, then I’ll train ya. Just don’t say I didn’t warn ya.”

“Great!” She replies with more excitement than she really felt, “And can I ask one more question?”

“…What?” Vickie finally grumbles out; starting to cross her arms. _~I better ask quickly. She’s getting irritated.~_

“You haven’t smelled anything new of Inuyasha at all? Not even a little bit?”

“No,” The youkai says instantly; leering at her, “Do you think I’d be here talking to you if I knew where my brother was?”

“I-I suppose not,” Kagome answers; laughing nervously. She glances at everyone, saw Sesshomaru give Vickie a quiet, inspecting stare that has her curious, but says nothing. _~Is she really telling me the truth? I bet even Sesshomaru doesn’t believe her words. It’s just a matter of time before she’ll have to tell us whatever it is she isn’t saying…Then I can work on getting me and Inuyasha back on track once he returns…~_

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~_ **

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

            Inuyasha watches with marginally fatigued eyes as the teen cooks. It has been at least four days since the odd demon attack, and, other than small annoyances here and there, no more serious attacks occurred. But a more pressing dilemma has appeared that’s left the hanyo crankier than ever.

 

The teen girl has stopped talking to him after that day.

 

Worse still, she has also taken to sleeping in her own sleeping bag instead of with him.

 

            The nightmares were enough to make him give up sleep. This meant that he was highly irritable and senselessly angry. _~Shouldn’t she be talking to me? Doesn’t she need MY protection? Idiot.~_ He mentally growls; knowing by now it was no use.

 

Words just didn’t reach her anymore.

 

            Once or twice, the thought of going back to the group had come to his mind, but, the moment he thought of Kagome, he found he couldn’t. The nightmares were making him paranoid, and he was nearly afraid to pee for fear someone would see his penis out in the open. His avoidance measures weren’t giving him any relief though, and he secretly wished to just curl up in a ball and get inside Sheila’s sleeping bag with her. _~Even the sound of her voice would be great right about now~_ He thought; eyes never leaving the mute girl…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            She felt his eyes on her as she stirred the stew of pheasant, wild and cultivated vegetables she didn’t dare ask where he got them from, and a broth she has made from the boar meat. It was heavy, full of flavor and filled the cave with appetizing smells. She still had lots of the boar parts jarred; having enough sense to ask him to find jarring material where ever he could so she could practice storing and preserving it.

            Sheila has been keeping her distance. Other than aiding him in healing his now fully healed wounds from that fight four days ago and asking him to hunt once she feared food may get low, the teen kept her silence. Especially when he was about ready to chew her head off over nothing. She didn’t want to trust him; couldn’t imagine just why it hurt her enough to stay quiet no matter what he said.

 

They were at a nasty stand-still, and Sheila was afraid it would soon erupt into something bad soon.

 

            She knew he was having a hard time sleeping. Could hear him get up in the night, panting and groaning; mumbling her half-sister’s name in a cross between fear and prayer. _~She’s definitely done something to him. I just don’t know what~_ She had concluded a few days ago after he had jumped from the sleeping bag yelling for Kagome to stop. It made her secretly worry, as all his behavior pointed to a harrowing possibility. _~May be she was the one who raped him…But…why?~_

“You done dazing into the food as if it’s some kind of mirror?” Inuyasha starts to gripe; an indicator that he was ready for the meal as well as bored enough to bother her.

            Sheila bites back an apology. It would just lead to him fussing more. Getting a bowl and putting some of the finished stew in as well as a few Onigiri in case he desired it on another little bowl. Taking them to him, she quietly sits them in front of him before going to her pack to grab a bottle of water.

“Your Onigiri looks weird,” he taunts; making her wonder if he wasn’t trying to bait her into an argument, “looks more oval than circle to me. Can’t ya even roll a straight circle?”

Biting her lip again, she ignores him. Making herself a bowl, she eats in sullen silence. ~I won’t be lured into an argument. I won’t be made to feel bad for wanting protection as well as wanted to give it. And I can’t wait to heal so I can go back safely to Vickie and the others~ Sheila thought wistfully; starting to miss her friends deeply. While she wanted to open up to Inuyasha, she didn’t feel she could, and so kept her peace.

“You really are some kind of idiot aren’t you?”

“No I’m not,” She finally states after taking a few bites, “I’m just tired of fighting with you. Everything you have to say is mean and horrible. You haven’t had a nice damn thing to say since you got better. No thank you or anything else has fallen from your lips. Not even once!”

“I don’t recall asking for your help,” Inuyasha replies coolly; the satisfied sneer on his face finally pushing her to the edge.

“Get out.”

He blinks at her in surprise, “What?”

“I said get out. I would rather risk dying of another demon attack than to stand one more moment in your presence. If I die, then fine. At least I’ll die with some peace!”

            The silence that greeted her words was enough to hurt her heart as he sits the food to the side.

“Fine. Die. See if I care,” Were the last words she hears from his lips before he walks out of the cave; leaving her to do the one thing she’s been fighting to not do every second of their encounters.

 

Cry.

 

She could finally cry.

 

            Thick tears mix with her stew as she quietly eats; her heart tight in her chest for reasons she didn’t fully understand…

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village~_ **

 

**_ ~Kaede~ _ **

 

“More of the crops have gone missing, Priestess Kaede,” A male villager informs; a man she recognized to be one of the main crop watchers. She could see the worry in his brown-grey eyes and nods; hoping her silent confidence assures him.

“Everything will be alright. Why don’t ye go to your wife and check on her. She’s pregnant with her third child, yes?”

            He gave her a smile and curt nod; his hair tied up in a neat topknot that exposed his young and powerful features, “Yes. Buddha has been most gracious to us. Our two boys are strong and fit. She’s hoping for a little girl this time.”

“Either way, I’m sure ye both will be feeling very blessed when the little one comes.”

“Yes, you’re right. I best check on her now,” he replies; bowing to Kaede, “Thank you, Priestess Kaede,” the young man further speaks before getting up, turning, and walking out of her house.

            Kaede sighs; her mind full of troubles. First, Inuyasha and a mysterious young time traveler she has been told about from Yusuke and Vickie are missing, and now the village’s crops were being stolen by heavens only knew what. _~At least no women or children have gone missing. But, if they steal a very large portion of crops, the village could end up going hungry~_ She worries. So far, only a few crops have ever been taken at a time, and it wasn’t a significant amount to warrant full concern. It was Vickie’s words that messed with her the most. The female youkai had told her about Inuyasha’s rape, and the wise-woman in turn had warned her that physical pain would be the least of their worries. She has dealt with such victims; the number of young women and men coming to her due to rape were unsettling but not unusual in this time of tension among the feuding lords of their lands. _~The physical pains tend to heal much faster and more efficiently than the ones affecting the mind after such events.~_ She recalls saying, _~There are few that live normal lives after that. Some have even gone on to admit wishing their attacker had killed them and not left such scars behind for them to bear as their legacy~_

“Inuyasha, ye hold onto yourself,” she remarks out loud; hoping that the belief of one talking about you held enough ground to get the message through to his inner self, “Don’t ye be afraid to face that event and walk away blameless. For no one is ever at fault of such horrific deeds. Ye must find a way to save yourself, and find your way again. Ye path will never be as it was, but perhaps something even more fulfilling shall now come ye way.” …

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Branch Of A Tree~_ **

 

           

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

            He sneezed, and wandered just who the hell was talking about him when he felt a presence. After leaving the cave, the hanyo had taken to the trees; feeling bad with each leap he took away from the obviously hopeless girl. She could barely walk to the river for a proper bath, and had bruises everywhere, but was willing to take on death. Now that he thought about it, he was more aggressive than usual. Sure, Inuyasha knew he had a terrible way with words, but he wasn’t a complete fool. _~I wanted to argue with her. I wanted to make her cry…I wanted to see her break down~_ He mentally admits to himself; afraid of this new emotion welling up inside him. After the night with Kagome, all he kept imagining was pain and hurt. It seemed to be the only thing that made sense anymore. Nothing else was registering anymore. There was love out there. Normal, understandable love.

 

But, so far, Inuyasha has never understood that kind of love.

 

            First, it was Kikyo. Things would have been normal if Naraku didn’t come along and ruin everything. _~And the bastard is still out there with shards~_ He mentally thought; frowning as the presence gets closer. _~And now…Kagome…~_ He thought of his current lover. She’s everything he wants in a lover. Kagome is strong, stubborn, but still sweet and true to herself in all situations. Her morals and convictions didn’t always make sense to him, but he loved her anyways, and looked forward to finding a happy ending while chasing down Naraku. But then _…~She…She did…that…to me…Why? Why, Kagome? I love you already…Am I really that bad at showing just how much I love her?~_ He questions himself before his brows knit together in irritation at the feel of something pinching his cheek. Inuyasha waits a moment before smacking his cheek; mentally grinning in satisfaction at hearing the pained squeak-grunt of the flea that dared to drink from him.

“Why am I not surprised?” He mummers; watching the paper thin flea fall into his lap before it recovered and looked at him apologetically, “What the hell are you doing here, Myoga?”

“I came to check on you, Master Inuyasha,” Myoga states, his black eyes and what few grey hairs his has left on his little head being the most prominent features on the flea youkai besides his blood sucking mouth, “Totosai and I happened to be in the area and I sensed your tasty blood.”

“So you decided to come over here and take a sip, did ya?” Inuyasha asks dully; knowing he was right when the flea sweats and tries to deny it.

“Is it impossible for me to have wanted to come and see you, master?”

“With the way I’m always fighting, and you being the type to run from any sign of danger, you really expect me to believe that?”

“But master! Really!” Myoga tries to protest, but it wasn’t working on him. Inuyasha didn’t believe one word of it.

“Hey, Myoga…Do you know anything about a plant called the Dog Fruit?” He asks; suddenly thinking of the red plant that Kagome had slipped into his mouth to consume, “I’ve heard of it somewhat from Kikyo before, but still don’t know much about it.”

“Hmm? The rare and legendary Inu no Kajitsu?” Myoga questions.“Yeah. That. What do you know about it?”“Hmmm…Well, I’ve heard a few things,” He begins, “Supposedly, when a human and demon were discovered to be in love, they were both savagely murdered by the villagers and their priest. They say the blood of the lovers mingled and spilled in a field of harmless poppies, but that their love was so strong it transformed the plant into a type of super hybrid. The Dog Fruit, also called the Dog Heart Poppy or the Poppy of Entrapment, use to be really popular for lovers to share during marriage ceremonies. It wasn’t until centuries later that the truth of the plant’s rather sinister history would come about.”“Sinister history?” Inuyasha inquires; ears flicking a bit at the sound of the wind rushing quietly through the trees around them.“Yes. While the plant itself is still much like the regular poppy, its symbolic meanings started to become real. The poppy is known as a flower of sleep, death, and peace. But its opiate properties make it very addictive. In fact, most who consume the flower in any way are sometimes so addicted to it that they’ll chose death over not having it at all,” the flea demon remarks morbidly.“Why the hell would anyone use it then?” Inuyasha demands more than asks; heart now clenching tight in his chest with fear for what it all meant for himself.“Lack of real knowledge, to be honest. At first people thought that poppies were just beautiful flowers; not realizing that the imported plants from China held such dangerous promises for them. They learned to make opium with it, and had become addicted to the point where humans are struggling to ban the stuff even now. The Dog Fruit is actually considered a holy flower. It was used by priestesses in order to make demons bow to their will and fight in wars with them. Eventually, the general public got ahold of this powerful flower, and started to use it as a way to enslave demons and humans to them.”“But then why would couples willingly take it?”“It was a show of faith,” Myoga answers, crossing his arms and closing his eyes as he talks, “You take the Dog Fruit and eat it to show everyone that you are hooked and madly in love with the one you’re eating it with. It’s basically a physical sign of loyalty.” “Ok…What does a person do if they eat something like that and didn’t mean to?”Myoga cringes, “…I wish them well. The Poppy of Entrapment works slowly, but surely. At first, it would plague the person’s dreams of the person who gave it to them. Rather those thoughts be good or bad is irrelevant, as the plant makes no distinction. Then the person will start to have unconscious thoughts of the person until they are consumed by little else. Finally, the person is driven mad by the desire to only be near that person, the Dog Fruit’s opiate power turns into a living curse of forced love. Some demons dare call it the Lover’s Rape Flower, because it violates the natural ways of love.”“…So is there no way to get it out of your system?” Inuyasha asks hesitantly; now afraid of Myoga’s answer.“Because the plant’s power it connected to its opium, it’s a real struggle. The withdrawals are enough to make you truly believe you are dying…And some really do end up dying trying to rid themselves of the entrapment. The side effects include random aggressive tendencies, anxiety, insomnia due to nightmares, flu-like symptoms and many more. The stuff is nasty and no self-respecting priest or priestess will use it today.”                Inuyasha silently listens. He wanted to run from himself. Wanted to leave his body behind as the thought of side-effects kick in. _~So that’s why I’ve been cranky and sick. The Dog Fruit is still in my system.~_ “Myoga…How long can it take for the powers of this flower to leave the person’s system?”The flea demon looks at Inuyasha curiously; a sort of intelligence Inuyasha wished wasn’t there shining through as he answers, “…It’s random, my lord. Some only feel the effects for a few days. Others, many months. It all depends on how much of it you have ingested.”“…A whole plant was given to me about maybe two weeks or so ago.” “Then I suggest you stay away from the giver until you feel better. You look to be out of the most dangerous of the withdrawals, but, if you go anywhere near the person who gave it to you even a second too soon…It will only start up again and you will be enslaved to that person forever.” …  ** _~Sheila~_**                  The upcoming night threatens to darken the lonely cave and pit its lone inhabitant into perpetual darkness. Sheila shivers as the howling wind ghosts past the opening; her dinner being the stew that she made earlier in the day. She left the bowls that Inuyasha had left alone. It was a false comfort. She needed those bowls to sit there and lie to her about him leaving. _~He just went out to get some air…He’s just…taking a break after our little fight…Nothing serious…~_ The teen girl thought while making sure that there was still enough sticks inside to hold her off at least until tomorrow. Sitting her empty bowl and silverware to the side to be cleaned in the morning at the lake, she gets up slowly from the safety zone of the fire’s light to face the growing black at the mouth of the cave.               Even with the threat of sleeping alone in the forest for the first time since she’s got to the Feudal Era, Sheila couldn’t deny the mysterious beauty the place held. Taking in the sounds of night creatures stirring, she smiles sadly at the night time landscape, “He isn’t coming back, is he? ...I guess I should be happy. The arguing has finally stopped and I don’t hear anymore nagging or cruelty…And yet...What I wouldn’t give for his voice to break the scary den of sounds I hear beyond my prison,” she confesses to it before turning away and preparing herself for a very frightful night…   ** _~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Forest just outside of Arata Village~_**    ** _~Sesshomaru~_**  “Vickie, we need to talk.” He wasn’t surprised that she didn’t react to his presence. He wasn’t fool enough to believe that his astute sister couldn’t always feel him coming most of the time. The conversation with Kagome was on his mind. He knew his sister had to be lying. There was never a time where the dog/wolf youkai couldn’t find their younger brother, and wouldn’t travel the ends of the earth to find him if need be.“You must mean that conversation with the bitch?”“I meant with the miko,” He corrects. While he didn’t care for Kagome much either, he didn’t see any reason to insult dogs by calling her bitch, “I take you have already found Inuyasha.” “Brother…Inuyasha has been raped.” Sesshomaru’s eyes narrow. After the conversation with the human, Vickie had chattered for a little while before disappearing. He had followed her after everyone had done chores for the afternoon that consisted of watch duty and hunting for his elusive brother before having a little free time, dinner, and, finally, sleep. The darkness was nothing to him. He could easily see and sense his sister sitting in a tree in the dense forest that surrounded Arata Village.“Has this been confirmed by Inuyasha?”“…No, but I’ve seen him,” she confesses quietly to him, “He…he wasn’t well, brother. While he didn’t seem different, his senses were horrible. He couldn’t even sense me, and I was only a few feet away from him!”“That sounds like our brother’s stupidity, not rape.” “I’m being serious, brother. Someone had witnessed it…,” he could hear her fight to not sniffle as her voice got thick with emotion, “My baby brother has been raped. Rather a hanyo or not, it’s still disrespect to our family and pisses me off to no end!” She ends up shouting; punching the tree and causing it to groan as if in real pain.“Sister, if you truly have seen our brother, why haven’t you brought him home yet?”“…You shall see, big brother,” she glances down at him; making Sesshomaru think that he’d rather not know what she was up to, “Trust me when I say that, for better or worse, I have done all I can for our little brother. Now, the rest is up to him.” …   ** _~Kagome~_**                 She tried her best to follow after Sesshomaru quietly; her human eyes not able to see every twig and rock that tripped her or made her make a noise she thought was louder than the night creatures. She had pretended to be asleep in hopes of following after the daiyoukai and hearing their conversation. But the risk of getting too close was too great, and, once Vickie punched the tree, the human didn’t want to think about how it would feel to be discovered. _~I’m sure they’re talking about Inuyasha. I bet she actually does know where he is. What is she up to? Why is she hiding Inuyasha away?~_ She thought; walking back to the inn before a disturbing thought came to being.“…Does Vickie maybe…love Inuyasha? Is that it? Is she in love with her own brother and think of me as a rival?” Kagome thought out loud; frowning at the thought of having to compete with Vickie of all people. It was one thing to try and appease her as an over protective sister, but could she really measure up as a more diligent lover?  
_~That’s it! I don’t care if she beats me to death! I am not leaving Vickie’s side from now on. I’m sure she is sneaking off to be with Inuyasha behind my back, the tramp!~_                She was about to stomp back into the inn when a rustle in the trees nearby made her heart jump into her throat with excitement and hope, “I…Inuyasha?” She calls out; hearing another rustle before all went still, “No…It was probably just the wind…Oh Inuyasha…Come back to me, already…” …   ** _~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~_**    ** _~Inuyasha~_**   _It was dark. Too dark to see anything but the thin, tempting light ahead of him._ _“Inuyasha.” A familiar voice calls to him, “Inuyasha, I love you.”_ _“Kagome,” he calls out softly; letting the light guide him to the voice, “I love you too, Kagome.”_ _“Come to me, Inuyasha. I want you to come to me.”_ _“Are you sure, Kagome?” He asks; his steps tentative and halting as he the teasing trail of light continues to lead him, “I…I’ve made so many mistakes.”_ _“It’s ok, Inuyasha. As long as you love me.”_ _“I love you.”_ _“Yes.” Kagome’s voice creeps over him, making him feel high and shaky, “Tell me again that you love me.”_ _“I love you, Kagome,” He says obediently; his words soft as he hunts down sound of her._ _“Oh Inuyasha,” she coos, “Won’t you say it more?”_ _“I love yo-“_ _“I promise to take care of you until you don’t need me anymore,” Another voice invades his senses; causing him to pause in his loyal following, “We need to come together, Inuyasha. So we both can survive.”_ _“Sh-Sheila…?” The hanyo questions cautiously._ _“Yes, Inuyasha. Even though I’ve said those words, you left me to die.”_ _“B-but you told me to leave!” He accuses._ _“Forget about her, Inuyasha,” Kagome demands; seeming to appear from nowhere before him in a sheer dress of some fashion he wasn’t use to, “Let her die. Let her rot in that lonely cave where demons can find her. She only helped heal you when you were down and out. But she really means nothing, right? You have me. So just love me.”_ _“I…” Inuyasha frowns; thinking of the cave and just how dangerous it was to be an injured person there._ _“Don’t let me die,” the dark skinned girl appears before him as well, “I…I’m scared and lonely. You know that feeling, don’t you, Inuyasha? The feeling of having no one to turn to?”_ _“That doesn’t matter. You have me now. Let her die, Inuyasha. Come to me.”_ _“Kagome,” He mummers in shock, “What’s gotten into you?”_ _“What do you mean?” Kagome frowns at him, “Don’t you know that I love you?”_ _“Yeah but-“_ _“Then leave her! You need no one but me! You have no one but me! You love no one but me!” She demands; making him shake harder than he did earlier._ _“S-stop it, Kagome.”_ _“Say it with me, Inuyasha! Give me all of yourself!”_ _“Ka-Kagome.”_ _“Wake up, Inuyasha,” Sheila demands softly; dark eyes bright with concern as she opens her arms, “Run to me and wake up before it’s too late!”_ _“No, Inuyasha! Come to me before it’s too late,” the paler teen commands, “Just say the words, and you’re mine forever!”_ _Afraid, confused, and feeling terribly sluggish with each step he takes towards Kagome, Inuyasha shakes his head before forcing himself to run into Sheila’s arms instead, “It’s a nightmare. It’s another nightmare!”_ _“No, Inuyasha! Come here! You are mine! MINE!”_ _“Shhh!” The dark teen croons in his ear, “You belong to yourself. Now, wake up, Inuyasha. Before this dream consumes you…” …_                Inuyasha shivers as he comes to; his body nearly soaked with sweat when he realized a frightening fact. He wasn’t in the tree he was in before. “I…Inuyasha?” He heard Kagome’s call. So close. So tempting. He could be with her. Fulfill her every desire and have her love in return. _~You belong to yourself~_ The dream Sheila seems to hum at him; his heart racing and tears streaming down his face as he ran away from the very person he wanted so bad, he’d die to have her. _~How did I get here? I went to sleep in the tree after Myoga left…and wake up to new smells and Kagome’s voice so near. Did I…Did I sleep walk?~_ The hanyo runs hard; the landscape a blur as Myoga’s words come back to him. _~The Dog Fruit will indiscriminately lead me to Kagome…Even while awake. It hasn’t left my system at all! The damn thing brought me here even while I slept!~_ He thought; fear running rampant in his head. Sleep wasn’t safe and yet… _~I didn’t just dream of Kagome…Did the flower somehow pick up on my thoughts of Sheila too, and try leading me to her too? But…I thought Myoga said that the poppy only works for the person who handed it to you…So…Why…?~_ He tried to think about it, but then yelps as he leaps for a tree branch and misses. Hitting the ground, Inuyasha groans; his vision going hazy with the need for more sleep, _~N-no~_ He thought, forcing himself up, _~I must make it to the cave. I have to get back to the cave before I pass out. Please still be at the cave~_ …  

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            A warming sensation made her awaken; the teen tensing as a body squeezes into the sleeping bag with her. After dinner, Sheila had went to sleep; her sore body restless but too tired to stay up even while stressed. Seeing the red of the person’s pants as they removed their red robe, her brain finally makes the proper connections to guess at her mystery guest in the dwindling firelight.

“I-Inuyasha? W-what are doing here?” She asks; too surprised to not speak with him.

“Let me stay.”

“Wh-what?”

“Please,” He begs; golden, demon orbs bloodshot with fatigued, “Let me stay.”

Sheila stares into the suffering eyes, _~Something has really scared him~_ She concludes; slowly wrapping her arms around his shaking body and gently shushing him, “It’s alright. You can stay. I…I missed you, Inuyasha,” she declares softly, trying her best not to look away from his sleepy, stunned stare as her cheeks feel very warm at the confession.

“Thank you,” He mummers; breaking the eye contact by pulling her tight against his chest with the pressure of his chin over the top of her head, “I…I missed you too.”

            Heart pounding in her chest with a confusing mixture of feeling as light as a feather, but awfully heavy like a mountain sat on her ample bosom, Sheila snuggles her face into his warmth; glad that the stand-still was coming to a close…

 

 

 

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	17. Chapter Sixteen: I Know Where They Are, I'm Just Not Telling And The First Pulse Of Sheila's Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Vickie admits to knowing their location, and Sheila's heart begins to open while someone watches not too far away...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry for how long it took to load these next 5 chapters. This is my B-day month (Today is actually my birthday :) ), so things are moving a bit slow. Once again, I am sorry for the delay and hope you enjoy reading my story. Please take time to review or kudos to let me know how I'm doing :)

 

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**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Sixteen:

 

I Know Where They Are, I’m Just Not Telling And The First Pulse Of Sheila’s Heart

**_~Feudal Era, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~_ **

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

“Where are they, Vickie?” Kagome demands to know; her body looking like a pattern of dirt patches and some bruises that the youkai is happy to have put there only a few hours ago.

            It was mid-morning. The gang of 14, if you include darling Kirara, had a bit of a late start in the third week of their wait. After having a fast breakfast of fruit from the gracious inn keeper, they broke into 5 little groups and went out to do various jobs. The half that had mostly fighter partners, like Yusuke, Miroku and Vickie, were usually the first to go on the Inuyasha search; since the worse of demons had a habit of appearing in the night. It had been funny for her to see just how well Joey and Sesshomaru worked as a team even before Jaken’s interesting return. The poor toad youkai had been running for his life by another demon that was persistent on thinking he was a snack. The skunk demon wasn’t something Vickie relished aiding the silly servant from getting eaten from, but, with Sesshomaru seeming to want to just watch, it was obvious that it would be up to her, Sango, and Miroku.

 

The others were NOT having anything to do with a skunk demon.

 

Not even Kagome.

 

 _~Not that I blame her. It took hours to smell normal again after that fight~_ She thought; trying her best not to get upset by the interrogation from the irate miko. Although in retrospect, Vickie supposed she should have seen this moment coming. Kagome has been giving hinted questions about her ability to sense her brother, and has been more intense with asking why she was being so vague. _~The bitch has everyone except Yusuke looking at me like I’m the villain. At this rate, I have no choice.~_

“I’m not telling,” She states with her head up high, not surprised by the shock on everyone’s face.

“You mean you really do know where they are?” Sango asks slowly; seeming not to want to believe it.

“It’s true. I know where they are.”

“They?” Both Keiko and Joey say in unison with comically wide eyed expressions.

“Yes. They. I know where both our teammates are.”

“Why didn’t you say anything?” Kelson asks patiently. He was the most rational out of the group, and she was starting to feel immensely grateful for that. It kept her grounded somehow.

“Because I don’t want anyone to know where they are yet,” Vickie answers; taking one look at Yusuke, and, seeing him nod, glances at the others with a determination that has them all warily looking at her, “I didn’t want anyone to know because someone has violated my brother’s virginity, and I’m not sure who to trust now.” …

 

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

            Her heart stops at the words. _~Sh-she knows?!~_

“How do you know something like that?” Kagome asks; beating down the guilt as best she could. She didn’t think Inuyasha was really telling the truth about being a virgin. Surly he and Kikyo had done something at some time in their relationship, _~How can he love her so much and not express it? Doesn’t Inuyasha know anything about love? Doesn’t he know he’s supposed to give himself to the person in order for it to last? No wonder Naraku could get between them. It looks like I’m not the only one that he’s been holding out on.~_

“Someone has witnessed it,” The youkai confesses; giving Kagome a glare that has her blood running cold, “And, once he joins up with us, he’ll be able to identify who has done it once and for all.”

 _~Oh no! If she finds out what I did, I’ll lose Inuyasha forever!~_ She mentally panics, _~I’ve got to find Inuyasha! I’ve got to give him the last two of the Dog Fruit I have, or the spell isn’t complete.~_

“Poor guy,” she hears Serenity say; turning to see her holding back tears, “Who could have done such a thing? That’s awful.”

Kagome tries not to let guilt overwhelm her at the words nobody could answer but her. _~I’ve done nothing wrong~_ She thinks fervently to herself, _~We are a couple, and couples have sex. So he might have said stop it, but he didn’t really mean it…He just didn’t know what was fully going on. Inuyasha is a virgin. Well…was…But that doesn’t matter! We are meant to be together! I won’t lose him! I can’t…~_ Her mind was too full to continue arguing with Vickie. She goes to sit down and thought heavy thoughts as a late brunch was made for them, _~I love Inuyasha…I don’t have to apologize for that…I don’t…~_ …

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Tama River~_ **

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

            She glances curiously at the naked back of Inuyasha as he wades through the river; the front of her blue shirt and loose grey pants a bit wet from washing his clothes, “Are you alright?”

“…Yeah,” He answers slowly; an indicator to her that he wasn’t alright.

            Sheila makes sure not to sigh as she continues to clean the fundoshi she took from him after he left them by the shore and submerged enough into the water for her to not spy on any man-parts.

“Tell me about your mother, Inuyasha.”

She looks up just in time to see the curious look that crossed his face with her request. Sheila was still wary of getting close to him, but saw that he needed help. Ever since he returned to her that night, he hasn’t left her sight for even a moment, and she noted that he was strongly afraid to. Just as before, she was pulled into the dream landscape each night they lay together. And each night, just as before, she comforted him as he struggled through his love and pain for her sister. _~The more I go into his dreams, the more I notice little things. Like the fact that the meadow had more than just poppies in them. There was another flower that, when it opened, showed the image of a beautiful woman with gorgeous black long hair and finely crafted kimono. I couldn’t see her face, but I’m betting it’s his mother.~_ She thought; finishing up her cleaning of the Japanese underwear and squeezing the excess water out of it.

“Huh? Why?” He asks; voice genial and tired. It made her want to hug him. Even though she hated how cruel he was before, Sheila didn’t want to see him beat down. _~He deserves to be happy like anyone else~_ She secretly believed.

“Because I think she showed up in your dreams before,” Sheila admits, “I saw a woman inside of a flower that looked to be white forget-me-nots. She had long black hair, fair skin, and wore a really pretty kimono.”

“…”

“I-Inuyasha?” Sheila calls his name unsurely; seeing his head duck in a submissive manner that worried her, “D…did I upset you? If so, I’m sorry.”

“…Sheila.”

“Y-yes?”

“…Kill me.”

Sheila’s heart stopped a moment; skipping a few beats as her eyes widen at his words, “Wha…what did you say?”

“I said kill me,” Inuyasha repeats quietly; his tears easy to see as they flow down his cheeks, “I can’t… take it anymore. I want to go be with mother… I don’t want to… understand love anymore. It hurts….It hurts… too much. So please…kill me.”

“Inuyasha,” She whispers his name; not caring about her clothes getting wet or the fact he was naked as she came to him in the river. She gently pulls his head down to her shoulder; the tears dripping from his face to soak into her clothes as she wraps her hands under his arms and around his back to hold him tight, “Your mother would want you to live. I know that because I’ve lost my mother only six months ago… It still hurts, and I wish she was here with me… to help me understand everything I’m going through… But I know it would kill her to see me die. Just like it… killed me to see her die.”

            She felt him move; the grip of his arms around her tight enough to almost hurt as he trembled and hid his face further into her shoulder.

“Kagome hates me,” she hears his muffled words, “I love her, but she hates me. I…I don’t know how to love her the way she deserves. I keep making her hate me…”

Sheila stayed quiet for a while, time seeming to stand still as she lets the warmth of her body calm him down. Once his shivering settles down, the teen speaks up, “Don’t think about that. It doesn’t matter. Real love will sing to the will of your heart,” She remarks; saying the very things her mother had once said to her when she was very little and going through her first crush. Her affections weren’t returned, and she cried for days until her mother said the poem to her. Taking a breath, Sheila recites a part of it:

 

_In a time clear as snow,_

_There were two lovers long ago,_

_Whom could not reach each other._

_One side was marked by the diva,_

_The other held by Inuyasha,_

_But they would not have another._

_For the Will of their heart was set in stone,_

_Love, magic and time alone,_

_Held the potential to bring them completion_

_As long as both stayed true,_

_They will love longer than you_

 

“Their Will being beyond extinction…” Inuyasha says the last part in open awe; causing Sheila to gasp and look up as he moved his head away from her shoulder to stare at her.

“You…You know the poem too?”

“Yeah. It was something my mother would tell me every night before bed. I thought she made it up for me,” He mummers. The look of confusion on his face matched her feelings.

“My mother told me the same poem every night too! Well, at least that’s the first part of it she would tell me. I thought she made it only for me too, but…,” she hesitated a moment before smiling at Inuyasha. Feeling suddenly inspired, she tilts her head up a little and she kisses his forehead; the look of surprise on his face making her giggle.

“Wh-why did you do that?” He questions, the tinge of pink on his cheeks making him look endearing.

“It’s because we share the same story,” she explains, “Mother told me that, if you find someone that could ever mirror you, then you must be soul siblings.”

“Soul…siblings?”

“It means that, even though we aren’t the same person, we should take care of each other like we are the same because if you treat someone that is just like you bad, you are treating yourself bad,” She hugs him close; hiding her face in his chest but still making sure to speak loud enough to be heard, “For whatever reason, the universe has made us the same in so many ways. Your father died protecting your mother and my mother claims mine was doing the same when he died. You have a brother who, while has gotten over his hatred of you, still seems to despise you at every turn. My older sister is the same way. You’re your mother’s only child and so am I. And…,” she pulls back a little to look at him seriously, “we both are still learning what the will of our hearts are.”

               He stares at her in silence, his face unreadable for a long moment before he leans his head into her shoulder and hugs her tightly against his powerful, limber frame, “Ok, I get it. Anata wa watashi no tamashidesu,” he replies softly into her shirt, “In other words, you are my soul. So I will take good care of you.”                Sheila opens her mouth in a silent gasp, the Japanese words for ‘you are my soul’ making her feel a pain in her chest that brings her to tears, “I will take good care of you too, watashi no tamashi…the words for my soul,” she says the words back; her body feeling like it was floating as she holds him close… 

 

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               He grins from his place among the trees far away from the two standing in the river; able to see the soft, whitish-blue light circling them that neither could see in their moment of kindred embracing. _~Finally. The Will of Heart is starting to open. Looks like he is the one to get me her Will after all. Now, it’s just a matter of waiting…~_

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	18. Chapter Seventeen: A Month Just Isn't Enough

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The month is going well, a thief is caught, and pair prepare to return to their friends...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Seventeen:

 

A Month Just Isn’t Enough

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Inuyasha Forest, Unknown Cave~_ **

         

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

**__ **

            Inuyasha wakes with a stretch, the sun flooding in from the mouth of the cave signaling that it was morning and breakfast would have to be hunted for. Yawning while purposely twitching his ears in a way to stretch them as well, the hanyo chances a sideways glance at the girl sharing the sleeping bag with him. He smiles slightly at seeing her lips parted in a small oval shape. _~Sleepy headed woman. She’s got no endurance for late nights~_ he thought, recalling the game they played last night. Sheila showed him how to play kendama, a type of wooden toy consisting of an interestingly shaped wooden tower, ball, and, if you desire to play with one on there, a string connecting the two. At first it was frustrating, but she didn’t give up on him, and spent most of the night showing him the thrill of playing the simple game.

 _~I actually can’t wait to play it again~_ He thought, quietly easing out of the sleeping bag to make sure not to wake her. Once again stretching, Inuyasha wanders over to the pack that was sitting beside the wall, picks through a side pocket for the extra brush, toothpaste and medicine in it, and gets up to leave the cave. It was a routine that started up a few days after their hug in the river. She didn’t fully believe that he was healed, and demanded him to keep taking at least a small dose of the medicine in the mornings. _~Stuff is nasty enough to kill an army of demons I bet~_ He surmises; walking towards the river to start on the morning task of cleaning himself.

            It’s been a little over a month that they have been together in the cave. The first two to three weeks were hard, but, once he decided to let go and trust the dark teen, things got easier on them both. _~It’s almost been five weeks now, if that calendar thing Sheila has in her travel pack is to be believed. From what she could gather of how nature is acting now and how the weather feels to her, we’ve just come out of June and are in the early days of July…Her mother died during December in her time…She remembers because the sky started to weep frozen tears with her…once she left and accepted the death had actually happened, and wasn’t just a bad dream…Just like when…my own mother left me behind…~_ He scowls in confusion, getting to the river and starting on the nasty task of taking meds, brushing his teeth and washing his face at least. Careful to not swallow the toothpaste like he did the first time he brushed his teeth, Inuyasha thought of all the similarities and difference they shared. While they didn’t share the exact same things, such as gender, age, or attitudes towards life; the things they did share made him feel like he really was looking in a mirror.

 _~Our sibling problems…the fact that we both have lost our parents and have been left to find our own way…The way the world ostracized us…It all fits…But why?...~_ He thought, finishing up his morning clean up before splashing his face to clear his thoughts _, ~Whatever. If we’re mirror siblings then so be it. Sheila is getting better anyways. She’s even starting to walk without much of a limp really, although she admits to still being a bit sore…~_ He frowns; realizing the time was drawing dangerously close for them to move on, _~…Is she really Kagome’s sister? Everything she’s talked to me about…The kids at school…the problems at home…If all of that is real then…she’ll want to eventually see her again I guess…And I do recall her telling me about a group of friends she showed up with…~_ Inuyasha frowns at feeling a tension fill him that he understood all too well. He didn’t want the peace to end. He didn’t want to go back to the group. The pain of the rape was almost a distant memory now, and the nightmares have all but cleared. Walking away from the river, his mind was full and his heart a bit heavy. _~What will Kagome say to me after all this time?...What will the others say?...Will…Will Sheila stop me from sleeping with her once she has to face Kagome?...Will Kagome get…mad?~_ He shakes his head and sighs; quietly making it back to the cave, _~Of course she’ll be mad. She doesn’t think you love her, and is gonna think something weird is going on once she finds out I can’t sleep without racing to her sister’s sleeping bag. I feel so stupid for trying to think otherwise, but…Sheila…~_ He takes a peek at the girl still in the sleeping bag, and couldn’t help smiling at the pouty frown on her face.

 _~She’s got a hand fisted in the area where I sleep…Is she…thinking of me too? Does…does me leaving her side make her frown like that?~_ Unable to keep from smiling, he walks over and softly brushes his lips over her cheek; the little smile that comes to replace the sour expression doing things to his heart he dare not look too deeply into…

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Kelson~ _ **

 

“How was the fishing?” Kelson hears Yusuke ask as he returns from his morning fishing trip. While it was a way to thank and aid the innkeeper for being kind enough to let them continue their stay, it was also a way for the Irish/Japanese boy to get a break from the group. _~Wayyy too many hormones in that room~_ He thought of the room they all shared in the inn before smiling at the spirit detective. Kelson wasn’t fully trusting of him, but would keep his peace until the teen provokes him to not to.

“It was great! I caught a lot more than we’ll eat, I’m sure,” he answers in calm cheer; smiling as Kohaku and Shippo race past him for a rowdy game of tag. He has noted that, while Rin still played with them, the young girl was starting to take more interest in talking to the other girls and staring at the one called Sesshomaru. _~She must have a crush on him or something. She’s about thirteen or fourteen now, and probably is considered grown in this timeframe~_ he thought; still amazed by just how young a girl could be for that in this time when compared to the Present.

“That’s good,” Keiko, whom is wandering out as well, replies, “The innkeeper was worried there wouldn’t be enough to feed everyone.”

“No worries,” Kelson assures, “So, are you going somewhere?”

Keiko nods, “Yep. I’m going to the storehouse to collect rice and other food stock stored there,” she giggles before calling to the playing boys, “And you two are supposed to be getting the eggs from the chickens!”

“Ok, ok,” Shippo calls to her breathlessly; Kohaku chasing after him as they run off to do as told.

            Kelson snickers while watching them leave; excusing himself from Yusuke and Keiko to go inside and hand the fish over.

“Oh thank you young man,” the innkeeper’s wife replies; her green eyes warm as she bows to him with her long, greying dark hair wrapped tight in a ponytail style with a comb inserted known as shimada mage, “I shall have a wonderful breakfast done for you all shortly.”

“No problem. Thanks for your patience in letting us stay here.”

“Nonsense,” she contradicts the compliment; a normal behavior that Kelson was slowly getting use to from her, “It’s the least we can do for all the help you have been. I wish we could do more.”

“No, your kindness and hospitality is more than enough. Thank you though,” He says politely; smiling at her fair cheeks going pink before she took the fish and wandered into the little area that was the kitchen. Chuckling to himself, he wanders towards the room; knowing most of the group was still there getting ready for the day. It’s been about a month since they’ve been there, and, other than worrying about his cousin, Kelson found the era to be a nice change from the Present. The streets were only noisy with horses and people going about their day, not cars, buses or other typically loud things. It almost made him think of certain parts of Ireland, so he was feeling right at home.

~The tension among the others though…not so homey~ He admitted to himself; thinking particularly of Vickie and Kagome. The energy between the two was intense, and it took every effort from everyone to keep the girls from attacking each other. ~I can’t say I blame Kagome though. Vickie claims to know where both Inuyasha and Sheila is, but don’t wish to tell us. Everyone, except Kagome, has just learned to accept it after hearing about the fact that he’s been raped and haven’t dared to ask any questions. But, sooner or later, we’re gonna have to get answers. And hopefully, it’s before those two find a way to kill each other~ Kelson, while being a young man who had no problem dealing with being involved in the situation, didn’t see the point of fully butting in. It was Vickie’s brother as far as he was concerned, and so he respected her need to keep him safe.

 

It was the need to hide Sheila’s location as well that had him a little upset.

 

            He remembers her injuries before they left for this era, and couldn’t help wondering if she was really safer without the aid of the whole group. _~That, and what if she’s run out of medicine to take?~_ He thought; holding in a sigh at coming in and feeling the tatami room a bit tense.

“I’m not asking to invade his privacy, Vickie,” Miroku continues, obviously asking something that was disturbing enough to cause this atmosphere, “It’s just that I’ve never seen Inuyasha willing stay away for this long. I can only imagine how the rape has affected him, and am asking about it in hopes of not agitating him further once he joins us.”

“…I really can’t tell you anything about it,” the demon girl relents; her frown proof enough of her worry for her brother, “I don’t even know who did it, Miroku, much less how or why. All I know is that Inuyasha needs time, and, rather you like it or not, I’m going to respect that and not say where he is. When my little brother is ready, he’ll make an appearance.”

“But what about Sheila,” Kelson speaks up, “I’m not gonna pressure you about your brother. He’s been through a trauma none of us really understand. But can’t you at least tell us where Sheila is?”

“Sheila?” Vickie parrots questioningly before smiling a little, “I can’t reveal that because Sheila…is with Inuyasha,” she confesses; the look of surprise, pain, and something that looks like anger to the Irish boy flitting across Kagome’s face that makes Vickie smile more. _~Nope. Absolutely no love there whatsoever between these two. But then again, Kagome is pretty strange acting~_ He thought, taking a moment to study the girl that was from their own time before replying to Vickie’s answer with only one question.

“Is she safe? The last time we saw her, she was injured and racing off to fight a strange demon with nothing but firecrackers,” Kelson looks at Vickie seriously; hoping the expression on his face was enough to prove that, if she lied to him, she would regret it, “So tell me. Is she really ok?”

            Vickie snorts, not intimidated by his gaze, “Yes. I saw her myself, Kelson. Sheila was limping a bit, but was otherwise healthy and safe.”

Relief flows through him. ~Good. As long as she’s alright, then it’s fine. Sheila will make sure to make it back to us~ He thought; smiling and nodding at the youkai, “Ok. That’s all I wanted to know.”

“Well of course she’s alright,” the youkai gives a sniff of indignation, “I wouldn’t leave oneesan somewhere and not know she was safe.”

 _~That’s right. Vickie accepts Sheila as her sister. Although….~_ He glances warily at Sesshomaru, who was giving his sister a rather cold stare _~not everyone feels she should have that honor~_

“Joey,” Kelson hears Serenity talk to her brother, “Are you ok? We just heard that Sheila is doing fine, but you’re still frowning.”

Joey looks up, as if pulled out of a deep thought, “Huh?”

Yusuke and Keiko wander in; the smile on the spirit detective’s face teasing at coming in on the last parts of the conversation, “He’s not happy because his boyfriend isn’t here.”

            Joey blushes brightly while fussing, “You shut up!” he then frowns; worry filling his hazel irises, “It’s just dat…I was expectin’ Kaiba to have met up with us by now…”

“That’s true,” Yusuke agrees, “Kurama and the others were supposed to meet up with us a few weeks ago,” he sighs, “Something must have come up to delay them, because I know damn well Kurama and Hiei would have lead them easily to us.”

Kagome frowns and stands up; the anger lines still noticeable on her face. Kelson has studied body language for his art classes, so he knew he wasn’t mistaken by the stiff walking and tense shoulders of the teen girl as she walks away.

“Sorry everyone. I need to take a walk. There’s just too much going on for me.”

“Poor Kagome,” Sango remarks once the girl leaves; drawing everyone’s attention, “Vickie, can’t you tell that she’s missing Inuyasha?”

~Missing him?~ Kelson thought, ~She looked more angry than anything else to me. But, then again, her subtle body language could be seen as worry and stress…Are they maybe…bad at reading the girl’s real intentions because they think they know her so well?~

“Whatever,” Vickie crosses her arms; voice rippling with a growl, “I’m not buying the sob story. If she missed him, she wouldn’t have been the first one to state we should probably be going this early morning.”

“While I know it sounds contradictory, I believe I can understand her reasoning,” Miroku explains calmly, “I think she believes that, if we continue hunting for the jewel shards, even without Inuyasha, that he will follow after us and appear when needed.”

“That’s right,” Sango nods, “Inuyasha always appears once Kagome really needs him. I think it’s her way of hoping to see him again sooner.”

“We. Are. Not. Going. Anywhere.” Vickie states; each word tense and being punctuated by a tap of her long tail, “If we move and get into danger, Inuyasha will NOT just suddenly appear. I just told you that he’s hurt.”

“But surly his wounds have healed by now,” Miroku remarks; earning himself a rather loud growl.

“I’ve already had a talk with Kaede about it.”

“Kaede?” Kelson asks.

“She’s a wise elderly priestess that is sister to Kikyo, another priestess and ex-girlfriend of my youngest brother,” Vickie answers before continuing, “She said that, while his wounds might be healed, Inuyasha himself will take time to come to himself…If he ever does…”

“Hopefully, the situation with Inuyasha and the fact that the other group hasn’t joined us yet will be alleviated soon,” Joey comments, “It’s all giving me a bad, itchy feeling.”

 _~Yeah…And it’s not only their situations that’s making it all bad or itchy, Joey~_ Kelson thought privately; taking a long glance at the door where Kagome had vanished through…

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Kaede’s Village, Kaede’s Residence~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Kaede~ _ **

**__ **

“Priestess Kaede! We’ve caught the thief! Hurry! We need help!”

            Kaede was helping reassure a woman that caught her daughter cutting her nails in the night that the honorable girl would most definitely attend her funeral as she should when the man showed up. The old superstition of nail cutting at night implying you won’t be there for your parents’ death was a hard one to ignore, and so, with a promise to talk to the young lady in question, Kaede excuses herself before running after the man as best she could.

 

The sight that greeted her was enough to leave her speechless.

 

There, growling at the ropes they dared to try and contain him with, stood Inuyasha; his claws easily breaking the ropes while holding some of the crops in one of his hands.

 

“Inuyasha! What has possessed ye?!” She demands; satisfied as his flinch from the sound of her voice.

“Kaede,” He mummers; relaxing his hand that had destroyed the ropes, “I…I need these.”

She blinks in surprise. _~His last words were said in earnest. What is going on here?~_

“Is something the matter with Kagome, Inuyasha?”

Again, he winches before answering, “No…It has nothing to do with her.”

“Than what is going here, Inuyasha? Ye are acting rather strangely. Ye never had an interest in crops before. So what is motivating ye to do this?”

            Inuyasha was silent a moment, his death grip on the crops unrelenting as he nods, “…I’ll show you,” he mutters; turning around and walking towards the forest.

Curiosity made her follow after him. ~So, he’s the one that’s been stealing the crops. I knew the rape would make him do odd things…~ Her face becomes grim as she thought of the rape he had went through. ~It’s only been a month at best...not enough time to have fully healed from the trauma of such an event.~

“Inuyasha.”

“What?”

“How are ye doing?”

“Doing?”

“I haven’t seen ye or Kagome for a full moon phase,” She gives an excuse; knowing he most likely wouldn’t answer her otherwise, “I was just wondering how you and her were fairing.”

“We’re fine,” he answers too quickly for her liking. ~As I suspected. Ye is not fine, and wants to avoid the topic of Kagome as fast as possible. Is it because of the rape? Is he worried that Kagome might not see him the same after being raped by someone? Or is there more to his avoidance than even I can comprehend?~ She thought in her typical logic. Kaede quietly follows and contemplates just how much of Inuyasha was really healed when a girl’s voice pulls her from it.

“Koinu!” A dark girl with bright, blue-black eyes in an odd outfit waves from the mouth of a cave; the smell of wild pheasant and eggs in the air making the elderly woman desire more breakfast to the meal already settled in her stomach, “Where have you been? I’ve already started breakfast! That trap I asked you to set up really came in handy and I was able to find eggs too!”

Inuyasha turns red, “Will you stop calling me puppy! And what did I tell you about wandering off?!”

“But the trap isn’t even half a mile from here,” The girl protests lightly.

“I don’t care. You’re still injured. You should not be leaving the cave at all!”

The girl just laughs softly before smiling at him, “Don’t worry, Inuyasha. I’m doing just fine. I’m only a little sore now. I promise.”

“Hmph,” Inuyasha grunts, walking over and handing her the crops, “You still shouldn’t be out. What if demons would have found you?” He continues to fuss; seeming to have forgotten Kaede.

            The girl accepts the crops before looking curiously at her, “Oh! You bought company. Hello. My name is Sheila Higurashi. You can call me Sheila or Fantasy,” the dark skinned girl introduces herself, “And who might you be?”

“I am Kaede, priestess and leader of Kaede Village,” She replies; her own dark eyes widening a touch at their interaction, “And ye must be very close to this demon to speak so. I’ve only seen Kagome take such a formal way with him.”

“Inuyasha? He’s my soul brother,” Sheila remarks confidently, “Of course I’d talk to him like this. He’s part of me, as far as I’m concerned.”

“Sh-shut up and check on the food,” Inuyasha complains; the look on his face evident of his embarrassment.

“I see,” Kaede says quietly; watching the dark skinned girl wander into back into the cave, ~Her name matches Kagome’s, but her skin does not. Do they be half-siblings?~ She thought, deciding to following in after the two to further watch this intriguing claim of being soul related. ~Not just anyone would claim such a thing. To confess to be one’s mirror image…is almost like saying…one is married rather than mere siblings…~

“Great! You got more rice,” Sheila says jovially, leaning up a little to kiss Inuyasha’s cheek before going to the fire, “You can have the pheasant and egg now if you don’t want to wait on the rice balls. Onigiri can take a minute to cook.”

            Inuyasha didn’t bat an eye at the show of affection. The dog demon just nods and goes to make himself a bowl; as if this was normal behavior between them, “Thanks.”

“So, Inuyasha, ye knows that thy sister has been looking for ye?” Kaede asks; deciding not to speak up about their way of behaving with one another. _~I think I understand…Inuyasha is using this girl to cope with what has happened to him. He finds a kinship in her because she believes they are so similar. Inuyasha still trusts himself, so it wouldn’t be hard to trust someone who professes in being nothing more than a mere image of him. But what does this Sheila get out of it? She seems a nice girl, but why is she so willing to let Inuyasha use her like this?...Is she perhaps, doing the same? If they be mirror images, then maybe she has a trauma just as devastating as rape she is still dealing with?~_

“Oh…?” Inuyasha asks vaguely; not looking at Kaede as he starts to eat his breakfast.

“Did you want any?” Sheila inquires; already starting up on a bowl for her.

Kaede smiles a bit, “Yes, I would love to have some. But only a little bit, as I have already ate.”

“Alright. It’s my first time cooking pheasant,” the dark teen announces; proudly presenting Kaede with the traditional tamagoyaki with a small side of pheasant before going back to make sure the rice was done correctly for the rice balls. Mentally preparing herself, Kaede takes a bite, the rich flavors of old and new making her hum.

“You are a very talented cook. The eggs are tasty and the pheasant is perfect.”

The teen blushes, “Thank you,” she mummers; smiling for a little while but then frowning after a bit, “Inuyasha…I think…we should start thinking about getting back to the others…”

            Inuyasha tenses, his food halting in front of his mouth a moment before he continues as if he didn’t pause, “Really? I thought you said you were still sore,” he mumbles in between bites.

 _~Hmmm…Sounds like Inuyasha is purposely avoiding the group…I can’t say I blame him. The tension between himself and Kagome is enough to make me worry for him~_ She thought, commencing with eating her food. It was a little known fact that she didn’t fully condone the union between the two. As far as Kaede was concerned, the idea that Inuyasha was tempted by the young priestess due to her connections with Kikyo could not be ignored. _~No matter how different they are, Kikyo and Kagome share the same soul. With such a strong similarity, who is to say the lines cannot blur and Inuyasha foolishly desires one due to the existence of the other? There is no kind way to put it. It is because of his constant thoughts of Kikyo that Inuyasha is reluctant to leave either. While Kikyo has made a new life for herself, it seems the hanyo still has not let her go. At the end of the day, Inuyasha loves Kikyo, and that love has warped itself onto Kagome. I just hope his love for her is strong enough to survive once he deals with the similar emotions most likely hidden underneath.~_ The old priestess frowns at the thought of her sister. It was hard to understand her motivations. The woman has decided to rejoin the living; not wanting to accept death. _~She found a spell that makes her human and gives her the freedom that she’s always desired…But…has she truly become human?...There is always a catch to such spells, and I fear for my dear sister…~_

“I am still sore, but…your sister…Inuyasha,” Sheila goes over to him and gently rubs his shoulder, “I know she’s worried…Not to mention the others are probably worried too. As much as I’m enjoying having you all to myself…we need to go to them.”

Kaede watches as Inuyasha takes in the girl’s words; his eyes openly tormented as he speaks, “But…the dreams have finally stopped…What if…What if they come back?”

“Dreams?” Kaede asks.

“Um…He’s been having really rough dreams as of late,” Sheila mummers, her arms wrapping around the hanyo’s head to pull him tight against her chest as she speaks.

“Inuyasha…have ye been dreaming like this for a while?”

“Y…yeah…I…I made a mistake and ate some damn plant called the Dog Fruit,” he talks into the girl’s chest; not making any move to remove himself, “It…it gives me dreams…”

“The Dog Fruit,” Kaede pales; now fully concerned, “How long has this plant been in your system, Inuyasha?” She demands more than ask.

“…The month I’ve been away from the others.” …

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

 _~So it must have been when Inuyasha was…raped~_ Sheila thought; holding tight to comfort her soul brother. She had woken up to him being gone, some part of her wanting to panic while the other part laughed at her panic. Figuring he was going to get food, she smiled when she checked her pack and found that he had taken some of the medicine and used the red toothbrush she gave him.

            The last few weeks hadn’t been easy. Inuyasha was healed, but, sometimes, he still woke in sweats and surprised her by vomiting a few times. This last week or so together had finally seen him calm and fully healed; his skin going from slightly pale to a healthier, tanned peach color. And now, at the mention of going to find the others, his reticence didn’t really surprise her. _~I’m betting I’m right…Someone in the group must have something to do with his rape…oh, Inuyasha…If only you would just come out and tell me…~_

“A month is not enough,” Kaede’s words cut into her thoughts, “Ye need to avoid further exposure to that drug for at least a year for it to fully clear your system. Even with that time, the damage to your mental and emotional state may be all but permanent.”

“What?!” Inuyasha questions, tensing in her hold and shivering.

 

She knew he was afraid.

 

“It’s ok, Puppy,” Sheila croons; her arms unwrapping from his head so she could massages his ears slowly. She’s learned only a few nights ago that it was a calming gesture, as long as her fingers didn’t pinch or rub too quickly.

            His body eases from its tension; the teen girl feeling him sit the half-finished food down to reach up and grip her waist. Sheila blushes and squeals, his claws wiggling over her sensitive hips.

“N-no!” she struggles, fighting back laughter as she tries to escape, “D-don’t! No fair! I…Ah! Ha! Ha! Ha! Y-you know I’m t-ticklish!! S-stop!”

“What did I tell you about calling me a puppy?” Inuyasha asks coolly; his fingers not letting up for a second.

“O-ok! Ok! I’m…Ha! Ha! Haaa!!!...I’m s-sorry! I’m sorry!!!”

He releases her; Sheila sticking out her tongue before giving out a little scream and running across the cave when he chases her.

            This was a new development. As she spent day in and day out with him, a nature of frolic has somehow snuck in. Sheila didn’t know when or how, but the arguing that use to dominate every conversation was nearly nonexistent. ~Is it because we need each other?...Or maybe it’s because of this Dog Fruit thing?...Did…did Kagome give it to him?~

            The sound of a clearing throat made her pause in her play with Inuyasha; her blush making her skin a brown-cherry at realizing he had her pinned against the wall, “U-um…yes?”

“I see ye are getting along oddly well,” Kaede mummers, “Perhaps the effects of the Dog Fruit is rubbing off on you.”

“I-it can do that?” Inuyasha blinks, slowly letting go of Sheila, “I thought it only worked…”

“…With the person that gave it to you? Mostly,” Kaede continues.

“Wait,” Sheila interferes, “What the heck is this fruit thing, and how does it have anything to do with me and Inuyasha?”

“I will explain it to you simply. It’s like this…”

 

**_~A little time later~_ **

 

“…So, this fruit is actually a flower, and has the power to force the person that eats it to be dependent on the one who gives it to them. But you’re basically saying that isn’t all true?”

“No. Unfortunately, there are a lot of rumors and ideas on how the plant works,” Kaede finishes up her explanation, “Because it hasn’t been used in so many years, no one is really sure how it works, but I do know that the plant makes the person more dependent and easy to control. It’s a terrible and dangerous herb that has the ability to cost the person taking it their life.”

            Sheila unconsciously hugs Inuyasha closer; having sat down beside him in the cave and keeping her hands on him in hopes it was comforting. Now she was the one needing comfort. _~What’s happening to me? I feel like….losing him would…destroy me…?~_ She frowns; not understanding any of it.

“Sheila.”

She turns to see him looking at her; his demon eyes serious, “Yes, Inuyasha?”

“When we get with the others…will I be able to still…sleep with you?”

“Of course,” She answers without hesitation, even while blushing at him saying such things in front of someone, “You’re my soul sibling, remember? I’ll always take care of you, ok?”

Inuyasha nods; gently pulling from her arms to stand up, “Ok. I’m ready to go and check on the others.”

Sheila smiles, “Alright. I’ll pack everything up. There’s still plenty of rice and eggs to eat on if you want while I pack,” she states, content to grab a few bite size, rolled eggs before getting to work. _~I’m here, Inuyasha,~_ She thought; feeling the very words warm some place inside her, _~I’m here.~_ …

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 


	19. Chapter Eighteen: A Bad Reunion

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which they get back with the others, and things don't go so well...

 

 

 

 

 

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart: _ **

 

Chapter Eighteen:

 

A Bad Reunion

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Musashi Province, Western Edges Towards Kai Province~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

“Inuyasha, can we stop for a bit?” She asks; finally comfortable with being piggy backed on his back. At first she was tense, but the view among the trees had her gasping and smiling. She loved seeing the top of the trees. Enjoyed how the dips into the trees left a funny feeling in her stomach.

 

Felt a secret joy at his hands holding her so securely to his back.

 

            His back rubbing her front has sent tickles all through her body. The kind she knew were inappropriate. ~He needs me to be his sister, not a pervert~ She reprimands herself; grateful when he pauses and lets her down. Finding a large rock, she sits down and takes off her pack.

“Do you want a snack, Inuyasha? It’s been at least three hours since we left the cave after walking Kaede home.”

“Sure,” He replies curtly. She smiles at him anyways; knowing his mind was most likely filled with dread. _~His rapist is probably someone in the group…Kagome…Did you really…do that to him…?....If his dreams shed any truth…Why did you do it…?~_

            She pulls out a Hershey and Snickers; raising the two snacks up for him to decide. It doesn’t take long for him to go for the Snickers. He’s been favoring them over the Hershey after she let him have a taste of them sometime in the month. Tearing open the candy and nibbling on it, Sheila watches him stand in the warm sun. With his ears twitching sporadically, the hanyo was a sight that still fascinates her. His profile was masculine, but somehow…soft. Almost childish in some places. She knew from watching him bath that his body was fit in ways she’s never seen the teen boys at school fit before. It was manly. There was no other word for it.

 

And, for once, she wanted to do anything but punch him.

 

“Inuyasha…Are you and my sister…together?”

“…Yeah…I think…”

“Think?”

“Sometimes…I’m not sure what to do for Kagome…” Inuyasha admits; taking a last bite of the candy bar before handing Sheila the wrapper, “I just…don’t know the right move to make…”

            Sheila stays silent a while, forcing herself to not think about why it hurt to hear him say he was together with Kagome, “…I’ll help as best I can. But, I have to admit, I have a pretty hard time understanding my sister too most times.”

Inuyasha glances over at her; meeting her eyes head on, “Sheila…thank you.”

She frowns; confused, “Thank me? For what?”

“For wanting to help…I know you say we’re soul siblings, but still…I’m glad you want to help me.”

She nods; smiling as she stands up, “Don’t thank me for that. I said I’d help and made a promise. Once I make a promise, I try to not go back on it. Now come on,” She walks up to him, standing only a foot or so away, “Let’s go find your sister and the others. We’re almost there.”

Inuyasha gives an affirmative grunt, his eyes shining with new vigor as he squats down. Sheila goes behind him and grips onto his shoulder; holding in a gasp as he takes possession of her legs and seems to fly…

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Arata Village Garden~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Serenity~ _ **

 

            Laughing as she picks flowers and herbs with Rin, Serenity was enjoying the afternoon heat and docile company of the sweet tempered girl beside her when Rin stood up and shouted loudly at a man in red leaping over them.

“Inuyasha!” She yells in excitement, “Inuyasha is finally here!”

Serenity’s heart danced for joy. _~At last! If Inuyasha is back, then Sheila must be too~_ She thought, happily gathering up her half full woven basket to race after the young man going for the inn. The morning had been so tense with worry and fear, and so the kind hearted girl was hopeful that Vickie’s brother would bring some much needed happiness to the group.

_~Kagome and Vickie are almost always at each other’s throats and everyone is so sad because of all the worries and delays. It’s about time we all had the good news of their return~_

            It’s only as she runs along with Rin that she spots the girl on his back with a traveling pack on her own, “Sheila!” She shouts; tears ready to stream down her eyes, “Sheila, you’re alive! I’m so happy!!!”

“Serenity!” Sheila calls from Inuyasha’s back; waving as he stops in front of the inn and squats down to let her down. Not even seconds later, Serenity was embracing her; the solid feel of her friend enough to cause the tears to fall down her face.

“You’re alive,” she whispers, relief coloring her words, “I can’t believe it. We were so worried. I didn’t think I’d ever see you again,” she babbles on; causing Sheila to laugh as she hugs her back.

“It’s good to see you too, Serenity. Other than still being sore, I’m fine,” she declares cheerily before yelping and laughing as both Serenity and Sheila barely avoid Vickie knocking Inuyasha over from out of nowhere.

“Gah!

“Inuyasha! You’ve finally come to us,” The female youkai said; tears dripping down her cheeks, “I was starting to think you weren’t going to come back for a long time.”

The look on the young man’s face was enough to have Serenity smiles happily as he hugs his sister.

“I’m here now,” he replies, “And I have this girl claiming to be your sister.”

“Claiming?” Sheila mummers, smiling and rolling her eyes, “Don’t make me slap you, Koinu.”

“You must want to be punished,” Inuyasha fusses at Sheila, but doesn’t get the chance to do anything as Vickie leaps off him to hug the dark skinned girl.

“Oneesan! You’re finally back, oneesan! You worried the hell out of us when you went missing after chasing down that demon.”

            Sheila laughs, “Well I’m back now.”

“That’s interesting,” Kagome’s voice breaks in, sounding a touch upset to Serenity, “You shouldn’t be here at all. You should be in the Present, serving your detention for beating up on students all day.”

Serenity gasps, shocked at the malice tinged words, _~What is wrong with her? Shouldn’t she be glad to have Inuyasha back? And isn’t Sheila her sister? How can she be so upset about her being here?~_ She frowns as the teen girls glare at each other before Kagome softens and smiles at Inuyasha.

“You’re back with us!” She replies happily; purposely ignoring her sister as she walks over and wraps her arms around him, “I was so worried. How are you feeling, Inuyasha?”

“Me? I-I’m fine,” he stutters; the shock on his face making Serenity frown, _~…Why does he seem so nervous of Kagome?...Aren’t they dating?...Is he…afraid of his own girlfriend…?...~_ She shakes her head and wanders inside. She didn’t have the heart to watch the blatant disregard of her friend…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            Sheila watches the two embrace; the intimate hold making her hurt. ~Why does it matter to me?.. He already told me he was with Kagome…So why is it bothering me a little?...Maybe I’m just…spoiled to Inuyasha’s attention…? I have to remember that, until now, I had him all to myself…And now…~

“Come on, sister,” Vickie grabs hold of Sheila’s arm, almost tugging her inside with a low growl in her voice, “I want you to come and meet the others.”

“Oh, ok,” Sheila replies meekly, tensing at seeing a flash of fear in Inuyasha’s eyes. _~What am I doing? I can’t abandon him now. For all I know, Kagome might have…!~_

“Aren’t you gonna come inside and introduce yourself to my friends, Inuyasha?” Sheila asks quickly, pleased with herself at the flash of gratitude in his eyes before he nods.

 

For whatever reason, Inuyasha wasn’t ready to be alone with Kagome.

 

And she wasn’t about to force him to be.

 

“But Inuyasha, I was really hoping to talk with you alone a little bit,” Kagome softly pouts, “I’ve missed you so much. Won’t you spend a little time with me?”

“Can’t it wait until he meets me friends?” Sheila questions; struggling against Vickie’s tug. She refuses to be pulled away. She refuses to run from the sister that decided she wasn’t worth the time of day.

 

She refuses to abandon her soul brother to a fate he didn’t want.

 

            Sheila could feel Vickie pause in her pulling motions as Kagome glares over at her.

“It’s not like your friends are going anywhere. He can meet them later,” she replies with what Sheila knew to be false whining. She was good at that when she desired her way when the time warranted it.

“Yeah, but he just got back. I’m sure he’d rather rest in this inn and get to know everyone than to go on another walk or trip after carrying me all the way here.”

“You made him carry you here?” Kagome demands more than ask.

“No I didn’t,” Sheila defends herself from the accusation, “He willingly let me on his back to get here.”

“And you actually didn’t hit him or anything?” Kagome gives an indelicate snort, “That’s new. Why don’t you tell everyone you made your friends by beating them up first.”

“She didn’t beat me up,” Keiko remarks; coming towards the door with a slightly stern look, “And it’s obvious that he gave an answer already, so quit trying to pull him away Kagome.”

“Keiko…,” Sheila says her name in an appreciative tone.

Kagome wouldn’t let up, “You must have told him your history,” she remarks snidely, “That’s why he agreed to go meet your friends right away. Did you tell him all about how father had an affair with your mother, but, in the end, stayed with my mom cause he actually loved her?” She asks, her voice calm even as her words bit into Sheila, “Did you tell him how dad pretended you didn’t exist in favor of coming back to his true family?”

“That’s not all true!” Sheila shouts. Her heart was beating like a drum; thrumming with adrenaline and emotional pain, “Mom said he did love her! He did!”

“Do you have proof of this?” Kagome challenges, smirking at Sheila’s long silence, “That’s what I thought. The reality is that you played on Inuyasha’s sympathy in hopes that he’ll be nice to you, didn’t you? You’re nothing but trouble at home, so why should I expect you to be good now that you’re here?”

Sheila shakes her head, denying all the hurtful words, “That’s not true and you know it! I may get into trouble with fighting but at least I’m not fucking everyone at school!”

 

The slap was sudden and hard.

 

It stunned Sheila into the silence and makes most the other teens gasp when they made their way to the door to see what was going on.

 

“Kagome,” Sango’s voice vaguely registers in the dark teen’s mind, her hand going to her bruised right cheek, “that wasn’t very nice.”

“I-I’m sorry,” Kagome sniffles, “It’s just that…she always ruins everything…I didn’t want her to hurt you guys or Inuyasha neither…She’s….she’s been using the fact that she's a bastard child to make everyone like her and it makes me sick!”

            The silence was deafening. Or maybe Sheila’s ears weren’t working. Blindly, she tugs herself away from Vickie and runs away from the inn; her cheeks flooded with tears…

 

 

 

  

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **


	20. Chapter Nineteen: Gods Will Talk, And Vickie's Real Reasons

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A god talks to Sheila, and Vickie does too...

**_ * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * _ **

 

 

 

**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Nineteen:

 

Gods Will Talk And Vickie’s Real Reasons 

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Outside Arata Shrine~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            Sheila stares up at the growing dusk while standing near the torii of a small shrine. It was tempting to go and pray, but she wasn’t sure if she should.

 

Not being from Feudal Era, it might be bad to do something that could upset the gods.

 

 _~I don’t think the gods are going to want to hear from me anyways, considering all my feelings right now…~_ She thought; not wanting to burden them with her mood. After that confrontation with Kagome, Sheila had ran for it; unable to stand anymore of her bickering. _~But…I left Inuyasha…I hope he’s ok…~_

            Willing up her nerve, Sheila goes to well; sitting down her travel pack in order to get a clean bowl out. Cautious to not fall in, she leans over the stone wall of it to dip the little bowl into the water. Pulling it out, she pours some water on her left hand using her right hand to hold the bowl, then switches and repeats the process with the left hand holding the bowl while water washing the right hand. She then takes a little water into her left hand to quickly wash out her mouth.

            Having finished the ritual purification of her body, Sheila tucks away the bowl and puts back on the pack. Walking up to the torii gate that symbolically separated the sacred space of the gods from the space of man, she bows before going through, careful to be on the far side as tradition stated that the gods walked in and out in the middle of the path of stairs. Walking up the old swept steps was therapeutic in its own right. While she wasn’t Kagome, she still shared the half that made her a priestess. _~Father is grandpa Higurashi’s son…Which means the blood of priests and priestesses in the family are in my body too….And yet…Kagome and I are so different…I’ve tried talking to grandpa but…he…avoids me at home…~_ she frowns; trying to erase her troubles from her mind as she makes it up the stairs.

            Smiling at seeing the homey little shrine that was really nothing more than a small wooden structure with a small pagoda and figurines among nature, Sheila walks past the protective twin statues of some creature in order to reach in the pocket of her jeans in order to pull out some money to put in the offering box. After giving her offering, she rings a bell that is hanging over the shrine a few times, bows twice, clap her hands with the left a little above the right to represent the gods and starts to pray.

 _~Please dear god of this shrine, watch over my friend, Inuyasha. Teach me patience with me sister. We don’t get along and end up fighting all the time. And finally, keep me brave and fearless as I deal with accepting that demons are real…And I’m suspected of being one…~_ Sheila bows again before sighing and leaving the shrine; taking her time to walk down the path with a worried expression, _~…I’m just a bastard child…surly I’m not a demon…But…if I am…then…What is a demon priestess blood in her called…?~_

“Sheila.”

            She pauses; frowning as an unidentified male voice calls her name.

“Sheila…”

Sounding more like it was coming off of the wind, Sheila turns back around; realizing it was coming from the direction of the shrine. Frowning, she walks back up the path to look around the empty shrine.

“He…hello?” She calls out hesitantly, sure she must have misheard.

“Come closer, Sheila. Come closer to the shrine.”

Warily, Sheila inches closer, inspecting the figurines of Buddha and a few other gods she didn’t know by sight, “Who…who are you?”

“I am Sukuna-Biko-Na. I am a god,” the voice answers. She gasps and backs away a bit as the shrine starts to glow.

“Young one, I have heard your cry and wish to give you a gift.”

“M-me? A gift? But why?” Sheila asks; mystified by the blue-white glow.

“You will discover that in time. Just trust me. Your mother, The Beautiful Lady of the Bountiful Soul…Belle…would want you to have this.”

“M-mother?!” She stutters a moment; heart lifting at the words, “You…you knew mother?”

“Yes. We were good friends whenever she could send good word to me,” the voice replies, “Now, here are your gifts.”

            Sheila stares slightly open mouthed as something appears near the foot of the shrine. Curious, she comes forward; smiling as she picks up the pottery pieces, “I know what this is. It’s a Kabura Tokkuri, a type of bottle for rice wine,” she mummers; touching the old bottle before glancing at the three cups that came with it and a plain little wooden box filled to the brim with rice, “And that box is a masu. It was used to measure out rice.”

“Yes. This gift will help you heal and cultivate when you need to. Simply fill the tokkuri with water and drop three grains of rice inside. It will turn into a healing drink that, the longer you can let it sit out, the stronger it becomes. It does make the one healed a bit drunk though, so be careful with potency and use it wisely. The box, as long as you don’t use all the rice at once, will refill itself by the next day and has a protective barrier that prevents it from spilling, spoiling or creatures getting to it. The magic of these items are tied to your Will, so only you use it.”

“Will…Can this help Inuyasha?”

“Yes. It will make the side effects of his condition more bearable until he gets better. It will allow him good rest and an easy stomach to prevent vomiting. Should he get poisoned again, you will need to make a patch and let it sit overnight to be the most effective, as the power of the flower gets stronger each time it’s taken.”

“You even know what’s ailing him?!”

“Sheila…I’m a god.”

She blushes; feeling a bit slow for that comment, “Oh. Right. Of course as a true god, there isn’t too much you can’t see.”

“I cannot see everything but, as a healer, I can see the sickness in people and animals. The gift I gave you will let you heal humans, demons and animals alike, if you so desire.”

“How much of this should I give him now?” Sheila asks; excited to finally have something that could really help her friend.

“At this point, he only needs to have one cup a night. Keep that up for a week or two, and your friend…as long as he isn’t poisoned again…should heal.”

“Oh thank you! Thank you, Sukuna-sama.” Sheila bows a dozen times before running down the stairs; careful with her precious cargo as she runs to get back to the others. _~Inuyasha, I can help heal you at last. May be it won’t change the fact that I ran off in the first place, but I’ll make it up to you, I promise!~_ …

 

**_ ~Sukuna-Biko-Na; Dwarf God of Cultivation and Healing~ _ **

**__ **

            The shrill eyes of the god watches as the excited girl bows and leaves his shrine. _~She’s done it. Belle, your child is as beautiful as you underneath that human persona…May she succeed where we keep failing.~_

“I shall be keeping my eyes on you, Fantasy…You have so many trails and troubles coming your way…You’ll find your Will challenged and that healing rice wine in constant use. Hold on to the strength and desires of your heart…And may the Destroyer of All not discover who you truly are.” …

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Tree Beside Taiyo no dansu inn~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Inuyasha~ _ **

 

            He sat in a tree after narrowly escaping Kagome once Sheila ran off. Feeling jittery and nervous, Inuyasha watched as the group members argue among themselves. Some of them thought Kagome had went too far while the others thought that Sheila had pushed Kagome into going too far. One half believed that the dark teen was right in her argument, but the other side wouldn’t budge on the fact that Inuyasha and Kagome’s relationship was purely their business. _~Yeah right…They always butt in and complain at me for one thing or another when it comes to our relationship. They couldn’t stay out of it to save their lives~_ he thought grimly; secretly not caring one wit about that.

“…Sheila…” he whispers to himself; fighting the strong temptation to hunt her down, “What’s wrong with me? One moment, I can hardly stay away from Kagome. And now…I can’t think of sleep without her sister…” _~Everything she said was true. She is Kagome’s half-sister. She did fight with my sister in order to gain her respect and has come to this time to help Vickie find me.~_

“Inuyasha!”

Inuyasha lifts his head from his brooding in the tree branch; all thoughts forgotten at seeing the dark skin girl running towards the inn, “Sheila,” he calls; hating how his whole body tightened with hope when she stopped and gave him a breathless smile.

“Inuyasha,” she breaths out his name in open relief, coming up slowly to the trunk of the tree he was sitting in, “I’m…I’m sorry for earlier,” she mummers, looking very contrite, “I shouldn’t have run off. At least…not without you. I just…It hurts when she talks to me like that…”

            Without thinking, he reaches down and extends his hand, smiling a tad when she takes off the pack and carefully putting away whatever that stuff was in her hands before she willingly grips hold of it. Tugging her up the tree with one easy pull, Inuyasha sits her securely in his lap; his arms wrapped around her securely, “I understand,” he remarks calmly, his body becoming at peace instantly with her presence, “Just please…don’t leave me again, alright?”

“Don’t worry,” she reassures him; his heart becoming light at her enjoying the entrancing, tree level view of the village, “Like I said. I’ll always take care of you. Even when I’m afraid and run away, I’ll find my way back to you, Inuyasha. You’re my friend and soul-sibling,” her words relax him further; so much so, that all he could do in reply was hug her closer to his chest as his eyes close to welcome sleep…

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Taiyo no dansu Inn~_ **

 

 

**_ ~Vickie~ _ **

 

            Vickie quietly sits on the futon; no amount of idle chit chat with Yusuke or anyone being enough to settle her nerves. The argument with Kagome and her friends were enough to nearly split the group back into two. Sango and Miroku had to drag Kagome away, so close was the girl ready to risk a fight with Vickie. _~She would have just lost and died~_ She thought simply, purposely ignoring the constant stare of her older brother.

           

He didn’t approve of Sheila at all.

 

“So you go from one human priestess to the next? What’s the point of giving our brother the exact same woman, but with a different painting of flesh?”

“Sheila is not the same as Kagome,” she had protested, but all Sesshomaru did was turn his back and walk into the room without another word.

 _~…Is he right? Is she…just like Kagome?...They are sisters, and, while they aren’t the same person, is there really that much difference between the two?...~_ Vickie was having doubts. She trusted Sheila to be her sister, but…was she really strong enough to be with someone like her brother?

“I won’t find out just sitting here thinking about it,” She decides; saying the words lowly to herself while standing up slowly. Still paying her older brother no attention, Vickie walks out of the tense room, “First, I need to find Sheila and see if she meant to just run off like that. Inuyasha doesn’t need a girl that’s going to run off…Even Kagome doesn’t run when things get serious, for the most part…”

            Further determined by the spoken fact, the youkai wanders outside; lifting her nose to the air and blinking when the freshest scent comes from the tree where Inuyasha is. _~Wait…Isn’t that her pack by the tree trunk?~_ She thought, walking with silent, swift steps as she peeks up into the tree.

            Smirking, Vickie felt all her worries leave her at seeing the darling sight. There was Inuyasha, sleep like a newborn puppy demon with his arms wrapped around Sheila, who was watching sleepily as the stars were starting to make their luminous appearance in the growing night. ~I knew it! What the heck was I about to stress over? She came right back to him despite knowing her sister isn’t that far away. Sesshomaru. I must tell Sesshomaru of this later. She’s a fighter after all, brother! She’s not just a priestess. Sheila is willing to see Inuyasha’s point of view, and stand by him when he can’t get his own voice in. The Matching Glass must be a success!~ She thought with renewed confidence; now deciding it was time for the hard part…

 

Telling Sheila the whole truth of why Vickie brought her here…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            Sheila lays against Inuyasha with an inaudible sigh of contentment. Having decided to show him the magical gifts she received later, the young teen stares at the stars in admiration of their dying beauty; her own hands folded down in lap as he held her tightly. _~Inuyasha…I meant what I said.~_ She thought, turning gradually in his arms so that she could face him. Tucked in his lap, Sheila takes in the scent that was uniquely his, “Inuyasha,” she whispers; smiling as his ears twitch, “I’ll try to always be here, ok?”

            The hanyo grumbles some unintelligible words; appearing to answer her in his sleep.

“I’m sure that really makes him feel better.” A familiar voice says below, causing Sheila to glance down and smile at Vickie.

“Hey Vickie. Sorry for all the trouble I caused earlier.”

“It’s fine. Um, Sheila…Could you…come down here a moment?” The wolf/dog youkai asks softly, “I know you might not be in a good mood after what happened between you and your sister, but I have something really important I need to tell you.”

            After a short time, Sheila nods, feeling a disappointed and reluctant as she inches out of Inuyasha’s arms.

“You better catch me then,” she warns before jumping out of the tree; only able to hold back a little of her laughter as Vickie catches her and ends up falling to the soft ground.

Vickie shushes her before lightly pushing her off and walking a distance from the tree. Being beckoned, she follows, curious as to what her made-sibling wanted to talk about.

            After they walked to the edges of the village, but not too far as to be noticed by any of the group that might be on watch, Sheila stops once Vickie pauses and sits down on the grass; a wary sigh leaving her friend causing her to frown.

“Vickie? Is everything ok?”

“I’m just a little tense,” the youkai explains, “Dealing with your sister makes me irritable beyond reason. She can be nice, but that girl,’ she shakes her head, “that girl can be a real bitch when she wants to.”

“Yeah I know,” Sheila answers her friend before taking seat on the ground across from her, “I do live with her… Wanna trade siblings?”

“Hell no,” Vickie says with a laugh, “my hands are already full with my two brothers, no need to try and deal with the impossible!”

“That's an understatement if I ever heard one,” Sheila smiles, then looks seriously at the youkai, “So what's up? Is something the matter?”

“Yes and no…I-I have to tell you the truth,” Vickie says with her head ducked, “There’s still something I never fully explained.”

Sheila tenses a bit, “Another secret?”

“Kinda.”

She sighs, _~Well, at least she’s coming out and telling me, I guess~_

“Will…will you hear me out…oneesan?”

 “Go ahead,” Sheila nods; leaning back on her hands, “I’m listening.”

“I…I didn’t run into you on accident. Well, not fully on accident,” the teen confesses, “I was there for a reason and ran into you because of it.”

“Ok…why were you in the Present?  And what does it have to do with me?”

“I went to the Present without meaning to at first, but ended up staying there when something I had reacted to you.”

“Reacted to me?”

“Yes. I had a way of finding someone very important, and that important person is you.”

“This doesn’t have anything to do with them calling me the ‘helpful demon’ does it?”

Vickie shakes her head, “I didn’t even know about that. I came for a whole different reason that leads to my ultimate question. Sheila,” the youkai looks at her in earnest, “I need you to do me an extreme favor.”

“What?”

“I need you to try and get with my brother, Inuyasha.”

“What?!” Sheila shout-squeaks; her heart and body lurching back in shock. _~Wh….why is my heart reacting to this?...~_

“Shhh,” Vickie silences her, “Listen to me, please. I know that Kagome is hurting him in some way,” she sighs, “His behavior around her is tense and seems fearful. Even without the odd, new way he’s been with her, Kagome is hurting his chances of understanding love. You see, in our time, your sister is the reincarnation of a priestess name Kikyo. That woman was my brother’s first love and…”

“…And you’re afraid that he’s just using Kagome as a rebound, or a repeat of Kikyo?” Sheila tries to guess. It was odd for her to think of her sister being the reincarnation of anyone, but she said nothing of this. Her new little sister didn’t need to get distracted with explaining that to her.

“That, and she’s just…not right to me,” Vickie’s demon eyes swim a bit in the darkness as she speaks, “Their love has so many flaws to it. I know love isn’t perfect but…I…I need to make sure that my brother can’t find better. I need to see if he can’t find a love that isn’t just convenient.”

“Convenient?”

“Yes…You see, Kikyo was the first time he interacted with someone other than me on purpose. I kinda respected her though, because they were equals in some ways back then. Now…I wouldn’t ask him to date that holy witch to save my life,” Vickie growls, “Nearly dragging him into hell with her…having a type of private affair with Naraku, who then became our enemy…And now she’s cheated death to become some kind of human. I’m glad that is all done and over with. But then along comes Kagome, and I don’t like how things have been since. She’s turning my brother into her personal pet!”

“Come on, Vickie,” Sheila shakes her head, “Aren’t you being a bit severe?”

The youkai looks at her dully, “Sheila, even though my brother has already confessed to being in love with her and vowing to do whatever he can for her, Kagome has admitted to feeling insecure if he doesn’t have the Beads of Subjugation on.”

“Beads of Subjugation?”

“That damn collar on his neck. Whenever he’s bad, or makes her mad, she yells ‘sit’ and the magic makes him fall on his face. Now, tell me, is that something you do to someone you love as an equal?”

“I…I didn’t know that that’s what the necklace was,” Sheila replies; frowning at the thought of Inuyasha being knocked to the ground by a word so typical of dog training,

“Maybe she…feels she must because she’s human…? But…that’s still not right…If he was my lover, I would never do something like if it isn’t necessary.”

“She saves his life with it every rare moon, but mostly uses it on him when he angers her or she thinks he’s being unfair. My brother should not be disciplined for being who he is. So, with that in mind, I found a kind of magic to aid me in finding someone else he could try relating to…And it lead me to you. At least, it was the only way I could think of without giving into the temptation to kill her…”

 “So you want me to replace her,” Sheila inquires; doubt filling her of this plan, “I'm not sure if this is gonna work. I mean, for one thing, I can’t make anyone love me. And I wouldn’t want to do it like that, for another. Relationships should happen more naturally than that.”

“Come on Sheila,” Vickie implores hopelessly, “I know you don't really know my brother and he can be a real stubborn at times, but you know as well as I do that he has a big heart.”

Sheila suddenly holds herself at remembering his earlier embrace and words. _~That’s right…Inuyasha can be quite sweet without meaning to. And he’s already been through so much…~_

“Please, Sheila,” the youkai pleads; smiling at her as if she knew what the dark teen was thinking about, “you know he deserves better than what Kagome can give him!”

“…I..I know…,” Sheila sighs; her emotions conflicted, “Can I have a while to think about it? This is a bit much for me to decides on all at once”

“OK, take your time…,” Vickie says, standing up and gently touching her shoulder, “But please…please choose well, big sister,” she mummers, the demon girl walking away towards the inn. Getting up to go back to the tree a little while after that, Sheila thinks about the situation that may change the very fabric of her beliefs and promises to herself. _~Can I really give my heart, even temporarily, in order to save another? I…I don’t want Inuyasha to hurt…but…can this…really fit with what mother has told me about the Will of my heart? I feel that…I badly want to help him…My…my heart aches to…So…should I?~_

 

            Sheila wasn't sure, but, as she softly calls to Inuyasha and he awakens to carefully pull her into his embrace once more with worry that he must have slept too heavy and dropped her, the teen had a feeling she knew what path she desired to take…

 

Courage taking it was another thing… 

 

 

 

 

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	21. Chapter Twenty: Meeting The Rest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> In which Sheila gets a full intro to the others and Sesshomaru isn't so thrilled...

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**_ Fantasy's Willful Heart _ **

 

Chapter Twenty:

 

Meeting The Rest

 

 

**_~Feudal Era Japan, Kai Province, Arata Village, Outside Taiyo No Dansu Inn~_ **

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**_ ~Jaken~ _ **

 

            After narrowly avoiding the morning wallops from his great lord and master for his usual articulation of problems he spotted with having so many people with them, the toad demon races outside only to pause when his senses picked up on Inuyasha. _~So it’s true, Me lord’s useless brother has returned, but…what’s this?~_ The barely two foot demon frowns; walking closer to the tree in order to see a sight most peculiar to him.

 

Inuyasha asleep in a tree with an unidentifiable woman wrapped in his arms.

 

“Hasn’t that boy had enough with his human girlfriend? Master Sesshomaru would never be so reckless and dishonorable. Running from woman to woman like this is sure to leave his children in question,” he replies haughtily and quite loudly; careless of the mumbling that can be heard up the tree, “Lord Sesshomaru doesn’t have children now, but, when he does, they will be just as great as he himself, if perhaps not greater. Oh, but none of them will ever have their father’s grace or assurance of power, no no. They will nonetheless be auspicious and beyond any other simple lord or demon. But, then again, while Lord Sesshomaru is indeed very powerful, he still isn’t as powerful as his father. A rather sad thing to know considering his father was one of the first to aid in his training.”

“Jaken. Why are you out here babbling nonsense?”

Jaken’s blood runs cold at the sound of his master so close, turning around quickly, the demon stutters at the steady stare from Sesshomaru, “M-me lord! I would never sit out here and contemplate your power versus your father’s! Th-that would be most foolish m-me lord.”

Much to his relief, the dog demon aristocrat loses interest in him to look up the tree; a frown of displeasure on his face.

 _~I knew it! Master Sesshomaru doesn’t approve of this incessant flirting with pointless women either.~_ He thought, triumphant in his thinking, _~No doubt me lord is going to give that idiot a firm scolding when possible~_

“Oh, and Jaken.”

Jaken went from confident and mentally preening to cowering and staring warily at Sesshomaru, the poor toad demon only able to grunt in pain as he’s hit upside the head.

“Don’t ever run from my discipline again.”

“Y-yes me lord,” He answers; rubbing the large lump of swollen flesh on his head. _~Why must he take his frustrations out on me?~_ He whines in his mind, before opening his mouth in curiosity, “Um, me lord? Why is your brother sleeping with another floozy?”

            A random, unexpected thump on the head gets him again, the toad demon yelping in pain and holding his head while glaring at an upset Kagome.

“I am NOT a floozy! You rude toad!”

“Impudent wench!” Jaken argues back, “Any demon with a nose knows you must be one!”

“What the hell is with all this noise out here?” Jaken hears Vickie as she comes out stretching, “We’re supposed to be getting ready to pack and leave, not fuss over rather Kagome is a whore or not. Although that would explain the damn stinky ass soap she keeps using...”

The teen girl blushes at the implication, “What’s the matter with me liking scented soap? Just because I like frequent baths it doesn’t make me a floozy!”

“Sure,” Jaken hears Vickie mumble, like she doesn’t believe a word of it, “It doesn’t prove that you’re not a floozy either.”

“How can you say such a thing? I’m nothing like that!”

“It’s my mouth. I can say what I want. Don’t let your control over my brother and your friends get to your head.”

“What do you mean by that?!”

“Um…guys…” A female voice joins the fray, “Can’t you all argue elsewhere? Inuyasha has been having a rough time sleeping, and this isn’t helping. It’s still very early, and I vaguely think I heard one of you say that you still haven’t packed. Well, I’m packed still and only have to do some morning cleaning. So if you could kindly fuss somewhere else…”

            Jaken glares up the tree; seeing that the voice belongs to the dark skinned girl that was blinking down at them sleepily from Inuyasha’s arms, “I don’t know who you are, little girl, but you cannot tell master Sesshomaru to go anywhere. My lord can show you your place in mere seconds and have you rethinking such rude words!”

The girl stares dully at him, “What is so rude about kindly asking you all to take your argument somewhere else? Some of us are still trying to sleep, and, if this lord of yours is as important as you say, he wouldn’t waste his time being around all the fussing anyway.”

“That may be so, but you are in no position to be talking about the great lord Sesshomaru,” He continues to argue back; refusing to be outdone by what looked to be a simple mortal woman, “For instance, why would a simpleton like you be held in such an embrace by Prince Inuyasha if you be a respectable woman?”

            The girl glares down at him, “I am comforting my brother, you ugly frog.”

“H-how dare you!”

“Jaken.”

“Y-yes Lord Sesshomaru?”

“I’ve heard enough. Let’s get prepared to move on. Wake Rin and the others,” his lord orders; making the servant demon bow with a pout. _~But she called me a frog! The little wench is clearly testing me! Oh lord Sesshomaru, I hope you teach her a lesson.~_ He thought, imagining his great lord beating up the girl in his honor as he wanders away to awaken the others…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

            Sheila sighs tiredly as she watches an elegant man dressed in white give a quick glare before turning to follow after the odd toad man _. ~Well, good morning to you too~_ she thought derisively; tensing at the murderous look in Kagome’s eyes shining up at her and the dog demon. Clutching Inuyasha defensively, Sheila’s heart races with an intuition that trouble was afoot.

“Inuyasha…”

Vickie’s face splits into worry that she could see from the high perch of the tree, “Kagome! Don’t!”

“…Sit.”

The world lurches forward at an alarming rate, Sheila screaming as her stomach clenches from the sudden movement. Seeing the earth coming towards her at a fast speed, she closes her eyes and clings tight to Inuyasha; praying to survive the long fall from the tall tree. _~My sister is trying to kill us! Is…is this what Vickie meant by the power of the Beads of Subjugation?! It’s awful!~_ Her mind prattles; not wanting to face the reality of just how close death was. _~I didn’t get to make my decision yet…I didn’t get to keep my promise to Sota…I…I won’t be here for Inuyasha….~_

            Tears fell as she waited for the impact of the earth, plus the weight of the demon holding her tight, to crush her alive…

 

…Only to hear a pained grunt after being tossed in the air.

 

            Gasping, she lands on Inuyasha, frowning as she immediately starts checking over the hanyo in her shock, “I-Inuyasha? Are…are you…ok?” Sheila asks; her voice halting after the sudden fall.

“I’m fine,” He mutters out, carefully moving her off of him before becoming pale at a snarling sound, “Vickie! NO!”

            Sheila looks up in time to see Vickie, a now red eyed youkai, stalking Kagome menacingly; her teeth bared in a way that makes the dark teen flinch back a bit. Her sister inches back, brown eyes lit with an apologetic light.

“I…I’m sorry. I didn’t mean for him to get hurt. I just…lost it,” she replies honestly, the admission hurting Sheila beyond reason.

_~I knew it…She wasn’t trying to get Inuyasha…She was…she was trying to kill…me…~_

“You think that changes anything? You stupid girl! You think you can just be excused, just like that?! No!” Vickie growls; long nails extending from about four inches to a full eight, “I’m gonna take your head off. Then I’ll apologize and see if it’s matters!” the female youkai shouts; charging at Kagome with claws at the ready.

“Vickie, please don’t!” Sheila implores. No matter what her sister did, Kagome was still a living, breathing relative.

 

She couldn’t watch her die.

 

She couldn’t! She didn’t have the heart to.

 

            Claws rake the air and she closes her eyes tight; knowing there was no way she could save Kagome in time. But then she opens them again at hearing a livid struggle.

 

Inuyasha had somehow gotten up in time to get in the way; the hanyo now grappling with his older sister.

 

“Dammit, Vickie! Cut it out!” He demands, having a very hard time keeping his footing as his older sister easily tosses him to the side.

“How long will you tolerate it, brother?!” the youkai growls out, ignoring the fact that Kagome had ran to the side the moment Inuyasha got in the way, “How many times will it be ok for her to do anything to you? Eh?! When is it enough?!” she exclaims angrily, “I should rip that damn necklace off your fucking neck and wrap it around hers. I want to yell sit and slam her into the ground over and over again. And all because I feel like it!”

            Inuyasha winces, but stays silent; his eyes never wavering from his sister’s.

Giving her half-sister only a passing glance, Sheila gets up from beside the Inuyasha-shaped crater in the ground and walks between the siblings; smiling as she reaches behind her for the hanyo’s hand, “It’s not his fault, little sister,” she mummers, feeling oddly content by the feel of a warm, slightly calloused hand enveloping hers, “I angered my sister. That’s why Kagome did it. I’m sure she didn’t think it would hurt Inuyasha much at all,” Sheila looks over at her half-sister, “Right Kagome?”

            Eyes looking ready to boil her sister alive, Kagome slowly answers, “…Right.”

“See? So don’t be angry with him, Vickie,” She begs softly, “…please? You haven’t introduced me to the others yet. Can you show me your friends…please?”

The female youkai took a long while to answer; her black and gold eyes still simmering with built up rage, “…Fine. Come on then,” she grumbles, glaring at Kagome before walking towards the inn, “I’ll show you to the others.”

“Ok. Just let me get my travel pack,” Sheila replies lowly; not daring to make eye contact with her older half-sister as she goes to grab her travel pack with Inuyasha keeping a gentle, firm grip of her hand. _~I can feel him shaking a little…It’s ok~_ she squeezes his hand intermittently, _~I’m still here, Inuyasha. At least until you…throw me away. I don’t want to compete with my sister…but I don’t want to see you hurt either…What decision should I make? You’re my soul sibling…but Kagome is your lover…and your sister wants me to…~_ Sheila blushes at the implications of what Vickie had told her last night she wanted _~Vickie wants me to give you a chance to love someone else…But…Is that fair? Should I agree to something like that when you’re…already in love? Still…if it was me, and I was in love with someone who needed so much control over me…would I want to be saved?...Or left alone to deal with it myself?...I just don’t know what the right answers are…~_

“I…I’m sorry I make you so angry, Kagome,” Sheila takes time to say out loud, still not looking to her sister as she pauses at the door, “I really am just Inuyasha’s friend. He’s been sick a while, so I’ve been taking care of him. That’s all. Nothing more. Maybe you, Inuyasha and I can talk about it later? I really don’t wanna fight with you like this.”

“Yeah…Sure…,” she hears her sister answer elusively, almost half-heartedly, “We can talk, I guess.”

            Nodding, Sheila guides Inuyasha inside of the inn; taking quick peeks at it. Featuring the typical tatami matted rooms, communal baths, and other public, relaxing spots meant for travelers, it amazed the girl to be in one for the very first time. She’s never had a reason to go into hotels or inns before. _~Amazing! It’s so…cozy…Is this the reason you’re hardly ever home, Kagome? I would just stay here too…enjoying inns and traveling with Inuyasha and Vickie…~_ Contemplating just what that would be like on a daily basis…

 

**_ ~Kagome~ _ **

 

            Kagome grits her teeth, her mind full of anger and anguish. _~how could he just go in there with her? And talking to me like that?! As if I have to talk to her about anything! What nerve!~_ she sniffs in upset; her hands balled into fists as she walks to the village garden. She wasn’t worried about being left behind. She knew full well that Miroku and Sango would stand for it, and used the extra time to vent.  

“Stupid Inuyasha! Who told you to sleep with her?! Wait…,” her eyes widen as she frowns, “What if she’s lying about just helping him. Did they…Did they maybe…have sex already?” She pauses in her walking, staring at the crop garden with a troubled mind. _~Can it be possible for him to cheat on me?...Even with the powers of the Dog Fruit?... But that isn’t how he told me it works,~_ she reminds herself, _~No…they can’t have sex…Inu…Inuyasha couldn’t have learned to love her like he loves me…Could he…?~_ Kagome shakes her head, stubborn determination spiking up, “Inuyasha, I won’t let you go. I won’t leave you. Ever. You are mine, and I am yours. That’s how it’s supposed to be, and that’s how it will be!”…

 

**_ ~Sheila~ _ **

 

 “This is Sango,” Vickie first introduces a young woman with brown eyes, some pink makeup near her eyes, long dark, brownish hair held by a red ponytail holder and a body fitted snugly into a one-piece body suit with parts of the armor and pads being pink. The armor and shoes the young woman wore were black, and she was about an inch or so shorter than her.

“Hello,” Sheila bows politely, “my name's Sheila. It’s nice to meet you. I’m sorry for the mess I caused earlier with you guys,” she apologizes; recalling her first confrontation with her sister in front of them.

            Sango smiles hearteningly before bowing back; careful not to let her boomerang-like weapon bend with her that’s strapped to her shoulder and back, “Don’t worry about it. It’s nice to meet you, Sheila. I didn’t know Kagome had a younger sister.”

“Yeah…As you’ve most likely gathered, we don’t get along well.”

“I’m sure that, with time, you shall. Kagome is a very nice person. She just needs time.”

“I hope you’re right.”

“Sango is a Demon-slayer,” Vickie continues to explain once they finish greeting each other, “She's really strong for a human and is currently dating Miroku.”

The demon slayer blushes, “I'm not officially dating that dirty monk! D-don’t lie to her like that!”

“Don't listen to her,” her ‘sister’ whispers while pulling Sheila away, “she's just shy,” she chuckles before playfully picking up a little demon with dog-like feet, child-green eyes, and brown hair that is held loosely by a blue bow. With a turquoise shirt covered in leaf designs leaf-designs matching the color of said bow, the little, slightly pointy eared demon had an orange-brown vest he wore over it. His hakama is dark blue and a little baggy with the usual bow-tie knot keeping them on and a pretty cream brown tail. All in all, he couldn't be more than two feet tall.

“This little guy is Shippo,” Vickie smiles at his blush, “he's our magic fox kit and can even do transformations!”

“Hey,” Shippo pouts, “I know what kit means! I'm not a kid or a kit! I'm an adult!”

“Well it's nice to meet you too, adult Shippo,” Sheila smiles as the little kit scampers off to hide warily behind the one she guessed was Miroku the moment Vickie puts him down.

“Wait, don't tell me,” Sheila says as they come to a demon that easily stands seven feet tall, has beautiful markings on his face, long white hair that almost touches the ground and a long tail held like some fashionable garment on his unarmored shoulder, “you must be the great lord Sesshomaru,” she says with a bow, “a privilege to meet you on the same level rather than from the tree, my lord.”

Sesshomaru stares at her in wary surprise, tilting his head curiously.

“Sis told me all she could about you,” she confesses, “I’m sorry for the spectacle I made earlier with your…servant,” she replies; glaring down at the toad demon that glares right back.

Sesshomaru grunts, “Whatever,” He states simply, her heart a little tight as he looks away from her with open disinterest. _~Figures…It’s obvious that he doesn’t like me…~_

“Just ignore it for now, Sheila,” Vickie mummers; gently tugging her away by her free hand, “He can seem haughty and moody at first, but he’ll come around.”

“O-ok,” She answers, smiling as best she could while still applying light pressure on Inuyasha’s hand for her own comfort. Sheila knew that everyone in the room was staring at their conjoined hands as if they were on fire, but paid it no mind.

 

As long as Inuyasha didn’t let go, she wouldn’t either.

 

No matter how embarrassing.

 

“This is Rin,” the youkai says, pointing to a girl that looks to be about thirteen or fourteen with waist-length black hair, a child-like face with thin lips and big, soulful black eyes. She is wearing a strange, polka-dot orange dress that looks newly mended. Like Vickie, Shippo and Inuyasha, she wears no shoes and looks pretty fragile. She had to be exactly five feet tall.

“She's the one that I told you Sesshomaru raised.”

“Yeah, I remember,” Sheila nods before grinning and bowing at the younger girl, “Pleased to meet you, Rin.”

“Pleased to meet you, Sheila,” The girl answers cheerily, “I’m guessing you’re Inuyasha’s friend.”

“Yes,” she replies without preamble, “We are soul-siblings.”

Sesshomaru snorts, “Soul siblings? Is that what you call it?”

Sheila glances over from Rin to Sesshomaru curiously, “Yeah. What else would you call it?”

Sesshomaru shakes his head a few times, “Nothing,” he remarks simply; not talking any further about it.

“Let me tell you right now to ignore Sesshomaru. Nobody fully understands what he’s going on about most days,” Vickie taunts.

“I merely find it entertaining that she calls herself a soul sibling of a Taisho.”

“You’ll find out it’s true soon enough,” Sheila replies; confident in what she felt for the demon holding her hand, “Just watch and see for yourself.”

“Oh don’t worry. I will,” the elegant demon coolly affirms.

“Anyways, this boy here is Kohaku,” Vickie introduces her to another person before whispering quickly in her ear, “But be warned. We’re still kinda cautious of him.”

 “What's wrong with him,” Sheila asks quietly, glancing over at the boy who looks to be about fourteen with short black hair in a ponytail and body armor much like Sango's covering his slender body; except that the extra parts were blue instead of pink.

“We recently got him back from Naraku,” the youkai continues to whisper so as not to be heard, “we're not sure if all of his mind control is off of him yet.”

“That's terrible,” Sheila says with a frown before bowing and greeting him; loving how relatively soft spoken and kind he sounded. While the teen did stare at the grip she had on the hanyo’s hand, he didn’t seem as bothered by it as the others. _~Maybe it’s because he doesn’t really know Inuyasha all that much yet?~_ Sheila thought, before bringing her attention back to Vickie.

“And this is Miroku,” her made sister continues after going over to a young man with short black-brown hair trailing into a tiny ponytail, softly tanned cream skin, strangely bright dark gray-like eyes and simple features nicely put together. Wearing an interesting purple and navy blue to black kimono, he stands a bit under six feet, has an interesting staff and also a ring holding some of his kimono to cover his hand with holy beads over it.

            Sheila bows once more, “Hello, Miroku. I am Sheila. Nice to meet you.”

“It is a pleasure to meet you as well, Sheila,” Miroku answers smoothly; his voice holding a hint of flirting as he smiles at her, “Please. There’s no need to bow,” he gently grips hold of her hand, “We don’t need such formality.”

“Miroku, if you don’t get your hand off her, you won’t have a wind tunnel to worry about anymore,” Inuyasha growls; causing everyone to snicker as the monk immediately tugs his hand away with a blush.

“Now, now, Inuyasha. No need for hostility.”

“That wasn’t hostility. That was a promise.”

“Oh stop it you two,” Sheila remarks; just barely holding in a laugh, “I’m happy to meet everyone.”

“Don’t forget Kirara,” Shippo states; holding up the darling two tailed demon, cream colored demon cat.

Oh! She’s so cute,” She coos, smiling at the purring kitty, “Is it ok to pet her?”

“Sure, if Kirara doesn’t mind,” Sango replies to her, “She’s been with me for a long time, and is a great companion.”

“Is it ok, Kirara?” Sheila asks, hesitant to reach out and touch the pretty kitten size cat. The purring gets louder, black cat ears twitching a moment while large red eyes stare at her patiently. Taking courage from the behavior, she moves her free hand out to pet the head with the black diamond symbol on it that matches the dark stockings of the kitty’s feet and a couple stripes on the two tails, “It’s nice to meet you, Kirara,” she remarks; smiling up at everyone while still petting the cat, “It’s really nice to meet you all. Thanks for letting me say hello, even though my sister and I aren’t getting along well.”

“I’m sure it’ll be fine,” Miroku replies.

“She’ll come around,” Sango assures.

“You’re her sister. You’re family. So I’m sure you’ll get along someday,” Shippo chirps in; hugging Kirara close until the cat leaps out of his arms to sit on Sheila’s shoulder, “And Kirara thinks so too!”

“I hope we all get along well,” Kohaku states quietly; seeming shy to speak.

“Everything will be fine, big sister,” Rin remarks cheerily, “As long as we’re together, we’ll become family soon enough.”

Jaken gives an indifferent noise, “I doubt it, Rin. I second me lord that she can’t possibly be trusted.”

Sesshomaru didn’t agree nor contradict. He just stayed silent. Mentally sighing, Sheila stays optimistic, _~I may not have the older brother’s approval, but I have met the rest of the group, and am hopeful that we all might do well together someday.~_

 

 

 

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	22. Notice: Change of Heart

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Author Note: Change of heart

I'm sorry for the one week message. Alot was going on at that time, and I had lost confidence in myself for a bit. I'll be posting more chapters soon as I can. Once again, I'm sorry for that, and hope you enjoy reading the story so far :) 


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